ST. JOHANN, Austria, May 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Ben Cumberland has won the Rookie World Championship in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Series. In this trial of strength among the best young competitive athletes in the world, held in St. Johann in Tyrol, Austria on May 25, the Canadian came on top in the pool of eight international competitors to celebrate the first international title of his career.
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The Rookie World Championship in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Series saw the eight best international junior competitive athletes in action with the spectacular Austrian Alps as a backdrop. At the end of the multidiscipline event, Cumberland, a 22-year-old student from New Brunswick, captured the most points to win the title. Cumberland accomplished top-three finishes in all axe and saw disciplines, winning with a consistent performance, a talent that runs in the family. Cumberland said: "I can't believe it. Last year, my brother won the Rookie World Championship, and this year it is my turn. This is crazy and wonderful at the same time." The Silver Medal went to Andrew Kelly, from Australia. Kelly, 23, congratulated Ben after the competition: "Ben deserved to win! My two axe disciplines were not too bad, but I lost time in the chainsaw event. This is why I did not win today." Third place went to Ben Kniceley from the USA, followed by Iker Vicente from Spain, Norbert Bako from Hungary, Zdenek Maras from the Czech Republic, the Austrian Local hero Michael Neuschitzer and the Frenchman Jonathan Meary.
Ben Cumberland had a great year winning the Canadian Rookie Championship and was a member of Team Canada at the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® World Championship in 2015. Together with a strict training regime at home he was able to prepare for this international competition and win the gold medal for Canada. Cumberland commented on his success: "I owe this victory to God who gave me the strength to go out and train hard every day at home to get ready for this event."
The competition was held on a mountain plateau 1700m above St. Johann, Tyrol, in Austria. The event also attracted the best eight athletes in international logger sports who were in the audience. They will go head-to-head on the same stage in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Champions Trophy today, including Canadian Pro Champion Marcel Dupuis, a professional firefighter from Memramcook, NB.
Extreme sport with axes and saws
The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Series dates back to traditional contests between Australian foresters in the 19th Century. It is an extreme sport involving axes, hand saws and chainsaws. The disciplines simulate working operations in historic forestry, including felling and chopping tree trunks with axes and cross-cut saws. The athletes battle it out against the clock in six disciplines (four for Rookies). The competitors strive to achieve a perfect combination of strength and stamina, as well as technique and precision in handling the tools.
Press contact: Gerry Rozo; Phone +1-519-694-9925; Gerry.Rozo@stihl.ca; http://www.timbersports.ca
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