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Seventh Heaven: Australia complete historic three-peat to win seventh overall Team World Championship title
28 October 2022 – Australia followed-up their 2018 and 2019 successes with another victory at the 2022 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Team World Championship to claim their seventh overall title ahead of USA and New Zealand in Gothenburg, Sweden.
An exhilarating team relay event saw the Chopperoos pip USA to the title to continue their incredible unbeaten run, after New Zealand defeated Canada in a tightly contested small final. The Team World Championship returned after a two-year absence in front of a raucous crowd of 2,500 fans at the iconic Partille Arena in Gothenburg as Sweden hosted the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® World Championships for the first time.
The action saw 20 nations compete in the team event, battling against each other in a knockout format after an opening time trial across four of the six disciplines: Stock Saw, Single Buck, Underhand Chop and Standing Block Chop.
Australia laid down a strong marker from the start and were the only team to set a sub one-minute time in the time trial round (58.15). Brayden Meyer was the standout performer for the men in green and gold throughout the competition delivering a series of scintillating performances in the Underhand Chop, but it was veteran Brad De Losa’s stunning Single Buck that led them to a semi-final victory over Canada. Team USA then set up a blockbuster final with the Aussies, shocking New Zealand in a nail-biting clash, inspired by impressive performances from current national champion Matt Cogar and Individual World Champion Jason Lentz.
The Americans were hopeful of upsetting the odds, but axe-ace Glen Gillam delivered the decisive blow in the Standing Block Chop to deny Team USA their first title and ensure it was the Aussies that again came up trumps in a blistering time of 52.96 seconds.
Speaking after the victory, Australian captain Brad De Losa said: “We are a really tight team and we have a great depth of talent in Australia. That really showed here tonight. It was a great victory and something we are very proud of.”
Jason Lentz, speaking after finishing second with Team USA, said: “It is awesome to finish on the podium against a great group of athletes from all over the world. It is an honour to compete against them.”
In the small final, Team New Zealand bounced back from their semi-final heartbreak to triumph over Canada and claim the final podium place. Outside of the top four Poland once again secured their status as the top European team with an impressive fifth place finish and hosts Sweden battled towards a sixth place showing, no doubt buoyed by an incredible home crowd that generated quite the atmosphere.
Nine-time Individual World Champion, New Zealand’s Jason Wynyard, said: “Make no mistake third place is not what we came here for, but the standard of competition is very high and there are a lot of talented teams in the world. We are grateful to step on the podium in such a strong field.”
On a momentous evening in TIMBERSPORTS® history, Denmark’s Felixia Banck became the first woman to compete for a national team at the Team World Championship. Speaking after her history-making effort, Banck said: “I enjoyed it so much and I am really proud to be able to represent all of the female athletes in our sport and my country Denmark.”
During the competition, it was announced that next year’s STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® World Championship will be returning to Germany, where the world’s best logger sports athletes will entertain crowds in Stuttgart’s Porsche Arena. Tickets for this event can already be purchased at www.easyticket.de/timbersportseng.
Following a breath-taking team event, Saturday will see the top 12 athletes in the world return to the Partille Arena to compete across all six disciplines in the Individual World Championship.
Full results and final standings for the Team World Championship can be found on the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® database.
