The Great Britain team that will travel to Austria to compete in the 2014 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series World Championship has been announced.
Now Britain's five top lumberjack athletes are training hard in their final preparationsfor the 10th World Championship event which takes place at the Olympiahalle in Innsbruck, Austria on Friday 14th and Saturday 15th November 2014.
GB Team: Back Row (L to R): Simon Bond, Elgan Pugh, Chris Pratt. Front Row (L to R): Rob Chatley, Andrew Evans
STIHL TIMBERSPORTS is considered the major league of lumberjack sports worldwide, testing athletes' strength, endurance and skill in a series of thrilling, high-octane chopping and sawing events. The culmination of a year of TIMBERSPORTS competition world-wide, the World Championships will bring more than 100 athletes representing 20-plus nations to compete in both team and individual competitions in the tenth STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series World Championship event.
Representing Great Britain will be 2014 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS British Champion, Rob Chatley - who will compete for individual honours and also in the team event alongside Chris Pratt (Bedfordshire), Simon Bond (Denbighshire), and Elgan Pugh (Gwynedd), with Andrew Evans (Gwynedd) taking the reserve spot.
As 2014 British Champion, 30-year old Rob Chatley from Worcestershire, will lead the team to Innsbruck. A member of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS GB team since 2005, Rob will be the most experienced British competitor on this year's World Championship stage. In addition to the team relay event, Rob will vie for a place in the individual competition. Following what is sure to be a tough qualifying stage, the World's top lumberjack athletes will chop and saw their way through the full six disciplines: three with an axe (Springboard, Standing Block Chop and Underhand Chop), and three with a saw (Stock Saw, Single Buck and Hot Saw). Finals will take place on Saturday evening, 15th November.
The team event takes place on Friday 14th November and after a fabulous second placing among the European teams last year (6th overall), Team GB will be going all out once more in this fast and furious relay-style event. Each team member in turn completes one of four disciplines: the Stock Saw, Underhand Chop, Single Buck Saw and Standing Block Chop.
STIHL GB say they wish the Great British Team the best of luck for clean cutting and good competition.