Steve Bullman

Elgan Pugh from Wales has been crowned the best lumberjack athlete in the country for the fifth consecutive time at the 2019 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® British Championship, after breaking his own national record in the final discipline, the Hot Saw. Hosted in the picturesque surroundings of Blenheim Palace, as part of BBC Countryfile Live, the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® British Championship saw the top 12 lumberjack 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. In a competition that saw competitors push themselves to the limit, 16 personal best times were set which kept a packed crowd on the edge of their seats. Whilst Elgan claimed the top spot, an ecstatic Johnny Lewis came in a close second reaching the podium for the first time with Glen Penlington taking third place. Spike Milton, STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Global Sports Director, said: “The British TIMBERSPORTS® Championship pushes athletes to a new level of performance and this year was no different with the competitors showcasing the skill and technique required to compete on the biggest British stage. Each athlete has completed a rigorous training programme in preparation for this event and this was clear to see in what was an action packed and stellar British TIMBERSPORTS® Championship. “We now look forward to the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® World Championship in Prague, where we have the difficult decision of choosing Team GB representatives from this great pool of talent.” Elgan said of his victory: “To be crowned the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® British Champion is a fantastic feeling and one I am very proud of. I have been training intensively for this event and it’s great to see that it all paid off in the end.” 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. The cookie must be complete and within a defined thickness 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 of a specified thickness from a horizontal trunk using an extremely powerful chainsaw weighing nearly 30kg and with a chain speed of around 250 km/h