EUROPE'S TOP CHOPPERS TO SWING BACK INTO ACTION AS TIMBERSPORTS® EUROPEAN TROPHY MAKES AXE-CITING RETURN

25 May 2021 - STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® is excited to announce that preparations are underway for the highly anticipated return of its premier European competition, with the European Trophy scheduled to take place in Munich for the first time on Saturday 31st July. The event marks the international comeback of the much-loved Trophy format after a two-year absence. The Rookie European Championship will also take place there on the same day.

The two European competitions will bring together the continent’s woodchopping elite to battle it out behind closed doors for the first time at Motorworld Munich.

European Trophy to make highly anticipated international comeback
The European Trophy will see the best athletes in Europe in the Trophy format come together to determine the European Champion. The contest will feature 18 athletes in the Time Trial, in which they will complete one full Trophy heat across four thrilling TIMBERSPORTS® disciplines, with the top 16 athletes progressing to a head-to-head knockout format.

Amongst the favourites for the 2021 European Trophy will be 2019 champion Michal Dubicki, from Poland, and Czech veteran Martin Komárek. Germany’s Robert Ebner and Austria’s Armin Kugler will also be gunning for the title, whilst Frenchman Pierre Puybaret and Belgian Koen Martens will be hot on their heels and pushing for European glory too. Calle Svadling, of Sweden, took a shock bronze in the 2019 edition and will be hopeful of springing another surprise.

Europe’s top rookies also back in axe-tion
Meanwhile the Rookie European Championship will see the best athletes from the 2020 European Rookie ranking compete to determine Europe’s top rookie, with 12 top newcomers from nine nations qualifying. With only a limited number of rookie competitions held over the last year it will be an open field, especially given Emil Hansson, of Sweden, has moved to pro. Switzerland’s Oliver Reinhard and France’s Loic Voinson will start as slight favourites, given they occupied the top two positions in the 2020 European Rookie ranking.

Both competitions are replacements for the World Trophy and Rookie World Championship, which cannot be held this year to due international travel restrictions.