The weekend of July 19–20 culminated the intense competition season in the extreme sport of TIMBERSPORTS® with the Nordic Championships 2024 in Malung, Sweden. The Nordic's top Pro, Rookie, and Women athletes competed for the title of Nordic Champion in their respective classes, resulting in a weekend filled with impressive performances and new records. Confirmed for the 2024 World Championship is Sweden's Ferry Svan, who took home the title in the Pro class.
Ferry Svan from Sweden won the Pro class after an exciting final against compatriots Emil Hansson and Calle Svadling. Hansson, who held the Nordic Champion title in both 2022 and 2023, finished third after being disqualified in the final event, Hot Saw. Norway's Vebjørn Sønsteby once again became the Norwegian champion and finished fourth in the Pro class, just one point off the podium. Sønsteby also set both a Norwegian and personal record in the final event, Hot Saw, with a time of 6.50 seconds. This weekend's competition marked Svan's first victory in the Nordic Championships since 2021 and secured his spot at the World Championship in Toulouse this November.
"It feels really good to finally win; I haven't done it in the last two years, so it's incredibly satisfying to secure the victory. Since all competitions are decided in the Hot Saw, the last event, it's not over until then. That's when it really matters not to mess up, so that moment is tough," says Ferry Svan, and continues: "Now it's time to shift focus to upcoming competitions, especially the World Championship. It will feel great to represent Sweden there this fall, and I will train very focused until then."
In the Women's class, Tove Njåstad of Sweden defended her title after a tough battle against Denmark's Felixia Banck. Banck finished second, followed by Sweden's Åsa Nordberg in third place.
"I am very pleased with my performance and my results in the events, especially in Single Buck and Standing Block Chop. It feels great that my development is going in the right direction and that I retained the title this year," says Tove Njåstad.
Danish Success in the Rookie Class
Bo Andersen of Denmark took his first gold in the Rookie class, dominating the competition with victories in three out of four events. Sweden's Johan Staf and Adam Bjöns finished second and third, respectively. In the Rookie class, Simen Jesnes Buraas impressed with a Norwegian record in the Single Buck event and a fifth-place overall finish.
"It feels really good and especially great to win gold. It's the first Danish gold in ten years, so it feels almost historic. Now it's all about training and staying focused in upcoming competitions; I have the World Championship in my sights," says Andersen.
