Stirling Hart of Maple Ridge was part of Team Canada that took the silver medal at the Lumberjack World Championship in Innsbruck, Austria over the weekend.
One swing of the axe, one second, was the difference between gold and silver, as Canada was edged out by Australia at the Stihl Timbersports Team World Championship, in which more than 100 lumberjacks from 21 countries competed.
Hart, as Canada’s national champion, represented the team in the individual competition, placing fifth overall.
“We pulled together as a team and showed Canada will be a force in the sport moving forward,” said Team Canada coach Gerry Rozo.
“The Stihl Timbersports Series is gaining traction in Canada and we’re attracting more athletes and spectators every year. I couldn’t be more proud of this team.”
The series takes the form of a relay competition. The four athletes in a team complete two disciplines with the axe (Underhand Chop, Standing Block Chop) and two with the saw (Single Buck, Stock Saw) one after the other.
All the disciplines derive from typical forestry activities and they combine maintaining traditions with the demands of high-performance sport.