November 8, 2023
Blackbutt’s champion axeman Mitch Argent has struck gold again on the international stage.
Mitch was a key part of the Australian team, dubbed the “Chopperoos”, which defeated the USA in the Stihl Timbersports Team World Championship final in Stuttgart at the weekend.
It was Australia’s fourth straight win in the prestigious international competition.
Teams from 19 nations took part, battling against each other in a knockout format across four disciplines: Stock Saw (standard chainsaw), Single Buck (single-man cross-cut saw), Underhand Chop and Standing Block Chop.
The Chopperoos overcame fierce rivals New Zealand in their semi-final to come up against the USA in the final.
The American team had set a personal best in their semi-final win over Canada, and were confident they could break the Aussies’ winning streak.
But the Chopperoos, made up of Laurence O’Toole (Vic), Brayden Meyer (Qld), Brad De Losa (NSW) and Mitch Argent (Qld), simply proved too strong.
Team USA – comprising Jason Lentz, Matt Cogar, Matthew Slingerland and Mark Bouquin – matched the Australians blow by blow, only to be edged out by 2.29 seconds.
Meyer, from Kingsthorpe, now has seven Stihl Timbersports Team World Championships under his belt; while Argent has clocked up his fourth.
To top it off for Aussie fans, Queenslander Jamie Head then took out the Individual World Championship against 11 rivals.
The Individual competition is contested across six disciplines: Springboard, Underhand Chop, Standing Block Chop, Single Buck, Stock Saw and Hot Saw (customized chainsaw up to 80hp).
Head secured the win under immense pressure with a time of 8.40, enough to earn him six points and his second gold medal from the weekend.
It was also a double gold for Australia for the second year running.
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Video supplied by STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Series
