SIXTH STRAIGHT STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® WIN FOR ELGAN PUGH

Elgan Pugh continued his dominant STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® winning streak by being crowned the best logger sports athlete in the country for the sixth consecutive time at the 2021 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® British Championship. 

Live streamed from the Telford International Centre, extreme sports fans got to see up close the top 11 TIMBERSPORTS® athletes from all over Great Britain compete in a head-to-head race against time across six disciplines. Using an axe, crosscut saw and chainsaw, competitors are awarded maximum points for the fastest time in each discipline; Stock Saw, Underhand Chop, Single Buck, Standing Block Chop, Springboard and Hot Saw.

The fast-paced action saw the athletes set 29 personal best times to the delight of the large online audience. Elgan claimed top spot with a consistent performance across all disciplines, with Glen Penlington taking the second spot on the podium for the first time.  An ecstatic Tom Redmond took third place in his first professional TIMBERSPORTS® event.

In a change of format for this year, live stream viewers also had the added bonus of watching the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® British Rookie Championship, which saw the top eight rookie lumberjacks battle it out for the crown. With 24 personal best times and one national record set, the competition was a great spectacle, with Jordan Muscato being crowned the overall winner.

Simon Hewitt, Head of Marketing at STIHL GB, said: “After a one-year hiatus, it was great to have STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® action back and all the athletes, both professional and rookie, put on a great show, showcasing their talent and highlighting why they are competing at the highest level.

“We’re delighted for Elgan and Jordan on their fantastic achievement. Elgan’s focus now turns to the World Trophy European Qualifier in Switzerland on Sunday 12th September where he and Glen Penlington will be aiming to qualify for the 2022 World Trophy.”

Elgan said of his victory: “It was great to be back in action this year and to be crowned the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® British Champion for a sixth time is a feeling I don’t take for granted. I have trained hard to make sure I was competition ready and it’s great that it has paid off.”  

To find out more about the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Series please visit https://blog.stihl.co.uk/timbersports/

STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® British Championship - the six disciplines:

Springboard – athletes slot two springboards into a vertical tree trunk then chop through a block of wood at the top of the tree, nearly 3m above the ground

Stock Saw – athletes race to cut two timber “cookies” with a chainsaw from a horizontally set log

Standing Block Chop – simulating the felling of a tree, athletes race to chop through a 30cm wood block as quickly as possible from the side

Single Buck – athletes race to cut through a 46cm diameter log using a two-metre long single man crosscut saw

Underhand Chop – athletes stand on a horizontal log and cleave it in two with an axe, chopping from both sides

Hot Saw – athletes race to cut three cookies from a horizontal trunk using an extremely powerful custom-built chainsaw weighing nearly 30kg and with a chain speed of around 250 km/h