Last weekend, eight of the world’s toughest and fastest lumberjacks gathered in Florence, Italy, to take part in an international wood chopping race, to see which man could chop four tree trunks in half, using a combination of axe and saw techniques, in the quickest time.
Two and a half thousand spectators gathered at the Piazzale Michelangelo to watch Australia’s Brad Delosa defeat the USA’s Arden Cogar Jr. to lift the 2015 STIHL Timbersports Champions Trophy, setting a new world record by chopping four trunks in just 58 seconds in four disciplines: hot saw (a customized chainsaw), single buck saw, standing block chop and underhand chop, which involves competitors chopping a 12-inch log while standing on it.
“It feels unbelievable,” said Delosa afterwards. “I had a little bit of trouble at the world championships last year and disqualified in the hot saw which dropped me down the placings a bit. So I was a bit disappointed with that and it really makes up for it to come out and win the Champions Trophy twice in a row.”
The STIHL Timbersports Series is big business, with millions of viewers worldwide. It is also the second longest running show on sports channel ESPN. The series celebrated its 30 anniversary earlier this year.
From The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11612286/Chop-chop-meet-the-worlds-fastest-lumberjack.html