Team Nordics wins European TIMBERSPORTS® competition – for the second consecutive year
Seefeld, Austria, was the host venue for the TIMBERSPORTS® European Nations Cup championship on Sunday 3 September. Ferry Svan and Emil Hansson represented Sweden and the Nordics in the Pro competition. Sweden’s Edvin Karlsson competed alongside Denmark’s Esben Pedersen in the Rookie competition. The performance of these four athletes secured overall victory for Team Nordics in the team competition– for the second consecutive year.
Last weekend, Nordic athletes put their form to the test before the World Championship in November when they took part in the penultimate TIMBERSPORTS® competition of the season. The European Nations Cup has a unique format. The points collected by each competing athlete are added up to a final nations team score. This year’s Nordic team was again made up of Svan, Hansson and Karlsson from Sweden and Pedersen from Denmark.
Their combined performances, with Nordic Champion Emil Hansson claiming gold in the Pro competition and Edvin Karlsson defending his title in the Rookie competition, meant that Team Nordics followed up last year’s victory by winning the title for the second year in a row.
– It was a great feeling standing on the top step of the podium. This competition was perfect training for the World Championship in Stuttgart and gave me the chance to pit my skills against Europe’s top TIMBERSPORTS® athletes again, says Emil Hansson and continues:
– I had a spot of bother in the axe disciplines but managed to pull things together and it felt really good after the Single Buck. Next up is the final stage of the Nordic Cup and a full focus on training for the World Championship.
The competition also marked the last international appearance by Pedersen and Karlsson as Rookies, as they’ll be moving up to compete at Pro level next season. Karlsson lived up to his status as favourite by winning the gold medal, while Pedersen put in an impressive performance and finished in fourth place.
– I’m pleased with my performance, especially in the Standing Block Chop where my cuts were clean. I feel I’ve improved since last season and am looking forward to next season, says Esben Pedersen.
– It was probably as close to a perfect competition as it gets. It’s satisfying to see that all the time spent training pays off. I felt well prepared and relaxed for this competition, which I think made a big difference, says Edvin Karlsson.
The European Nations Cup was the penultimate competition this season for the Nordic athletes. The fourth and final event of the Nordic Cup, which has been a season-long competition, takes place on 23 and 24 September. After which we can look forward to the highlight of the season: The World Championship in TIMBERSPORTS®, on 3 and 4 November in Stuttgart, Germany.
