If you’re an axe-lover, the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® event is coming up on March 05 and you won’t want to miss it! Australia’s top woodchopping and sawing athletes will be competing at Jimmy Melrose Park on the Glenelg foreshore for the 2022 Australian Trophy and Australian Women’s Championship.

The free event kicks off at 11:30 am with gates opening, followed by the Qualification Time Trial at midday and the Women’s Championship at 1 pm. The Australian Trophy event is expected to start at approximately 2.00 pm.

There will also be a supporting festival running through until 8 pm with food trucks, music, and a licensed bar, so there’s guaranteed to be something for everyone!

THE MAN TO BEAT IS ARGENT.

At the 2021 Australian Trophy, 13 of Australia’s top STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® athletes battled it out for supremacy against three-time Australian Trophy winner Mitch Argent of Queensland. However, because of the pandemic and continuing border closures, Argent was unable to compete for Australia at the 2021 World Trophy in Germany.

“It was unfortunate that I could not go over and compete in the 2021 World Trophy, but hopefully I’ll get the chance to go this year,” Argent said. “It’d be great to go to the worlds with my brother, Jack Argent, who will represent Australia in the 2022 World Rookie Championship in May.”

In March, Mitch will face 12 of Australia’s top athletes in Glenelg for the 2022 Australian title. The Victorian, Laurence O’Toole, who reclaimed the crown in 2019 and 2020, will be his biggest rival. Brad De Losa from New South Wales, who won the World Trophy three times, will also be a threat.

“It’s great to be back competing after almost a year of no competitions,” adds Mitch. “I’ve been training and am ready to compete for the prize title. The trophy format is a tough and demanding competition, but if you dig deep and keep going, you can win it. “I’m sure Laurence has been working out for the past few months and will be someone to keep an eye on. I’ve also experienced Brayden Meyer as a fierce competitor in the 2021 AUS trophy final, with just seconds separating us.”

The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS ® Australian Women’s Championship will make its second appearance at the event this year. The top female athletes are returning to display their strength and agility in an original extreme sport after last year’s successful event.

Renee Retschlag, from Kilcoy, Queensland, will be seeking to defend her 2021 Australian Championship title. Last year’s St. Kilda event was extremely close, with Retschlag grabbing the top spot by 6 seconds over Jodie Beutel and Renee on 13 points. Overall, the time determined who would advance, and it was close.

For the last two years, Queenslander Katrina Head and Kris Brown of Tasmania have been climbing the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® ladder.

However, with Maddison Kirley’s return, there will be some huge matchups between these athletes. Amanda Beams, one of the country’s top female athletes in the sport, will be attempting to retake first place. The single buck disciplines are Stock Saw and Underhand Chop, while the three-round women’s competition includes Stock Saw and Underhand Chop.

FULL EVENT DETAILS

STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® AUSTRALIAN TROPHY & WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP 2022

Location: Jimmy Melrose Park, Esplanade, Glenelg South, SA

Date: Saturday 5th March 2022

Entry: Free community event

Click here to open Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/H59yTVEGseGE9dG87

EVENT SCHEDULE

The City of Holdfast Bay, in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trustees, has sponsored the annual event. It is free to attend, although there may be a limit of 2000 people if limits are in place. Arrive early to guarantee your place.

Please be aware that times are subject to the weather and should only be used as a guide.

• Gates Open: 11:30 AM
• Qualification Time Trial: 12:00PM – 1:00PM
• Women’s Championship: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
• Knockout Rounds: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
• Grand Final: 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
• Ceremony: 4:30 PM
• Food Truck Carnival Open: 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
• Gates Close: 8:00 PM

Australian Trophy, CONFIRMED ATHLETES:

Mitch Argent – QLD, Brayden Meyer – VIC, Laurence O’Toole – VIC, Brad De Losa – NSW, Glen Gillam – VIC, Kody Steers – TAS, Josh Bakes – TAS, Brodie Dingle – QLD, Blake Meyer – VIC, Chris Owen – NSW, Jake Dingle – QLD, David Reumer – NSW, Brent Rees – WA

Australian Women’s Championship, CONFIRMED ATHLETES:

Renee Retschlag – QLD, Jodie Beutel – QLD, Katrina Head – QLD, Kris Brown – TAS, +2 more athletes to be added after the Women’s qualification round on Friday the 4th of March.

HOW THE TROPHY WORKS

In this fast-paced, action-packed combat sport, athletes compete in a series of one-on-one knockouts. Athletes will complete four disciplines back-to-back in each match: Stock Saw, Underhand Chop, Single Buck, and Standing Block Chop.

The fastest athlete from each bout will advance to the next round, culminating in a grand finale between the final two remaining athletes, where the winner will be determined. From there, the winner goes on to compete in the World Trophy, which includes sixteen competitors. They will then face off against Europe’s, America’s, Canada’s and New Zealand’s qualifying entrants. Each year in May, the World Trophy is held in Europe, generally.

WHERE TO WATCH

Nothing compares to attending STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® LIVE! If you can’t make it to Glenelg, however, you may view the live stream on our social media sites and catch all of the axe-ion action:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stihltimbersportsAUS

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/STIHLTIMBERSPORTSAustralia

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stihltimbersportsau/

7mate will broadcast highlights of the match later in the year. Every Friday at 4:30 p.m., Saturdays at 12:30 p.m., and Sundays at 9:30 a.m., you can watch the most recent instalments of the series on 7mate.

Want more? Catch up with all the action from previous seasons at https://7plus.com.au/stihl-timbersports or view the latest content on social media.

For further information regarding the event, please contact: csc@stihl.com.au

For media and PR enquiries, please contact: timbersports@thrivepr.com.au