Zoe Penlington wants to make up for a disqualification earlier this season when she represents Great Britain at the Nordic Women’s Championship 2023 in Elverum, Norway on August 13.
Using axes and saws, TIMBERSPORTS® athletes chop and slice at speed through blocks of timber, using technique, power and precision in this extreme and exhilarating competition.
Zoe is the sole British representative in a field that sees women compete in three Timbersports disciplines; the Stock Saw, the Underhand Chop and the Single Buck.
She won the first ever STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® British Women’s Championship in 2022, beating her closest rival Justine Narusa by just four points, but the disqualification in this year’s event saw her slip to fifth.
Zoe said: “I am really looking forward to competing again on the STIHL series. It’s a chance for me to redeem myself after getting disqualified in the stock saw at the British Championship and therefore losing points.
“So this is an opportunity to improve my times from the British championship as well as gain more experience to take forward to the Austrian championship.”
Zoe has been training with her father and her brother, British Pro Champion Glen Penlington, while Rooke Champion Jack Morris and fellow Rookie Zac Powell, fellow members of the Welsh Axemen club, are travelling with her to Norway.
She has been supported by Outback Outfitters and Radnor Hills who help to make it possible for Zoe to compete on the world stage and she added: “It’s so exciting to be invited to competitions across Europe and meet new people. That’s what I love about this sport and the STIHL series, meeting people across the world that have become great friends that I look forward to meeting with again and helping each other out to travel to new places and competitions.
“Everyone is so welcoming and helpful and I love being able to offer help back where I can even if that’s just giving someone a place to stay.”
The Nordic Championship is an annual competition for athletes in four divisions: Pro, Rookie, Women and Intermediate. This year the competition will be held concurrently with the Nordic Hunting and Fishing Days event.
This is the first time in four years that Norway are the organizers of the event, and the Norwegians are looking forward to hosting the highlight of the season on home turf.
Athletes that take part in the Championship hone their skills at training camps throughout the year, ahead of their performance in front of a live audience.
This year was the tenth anniversary of the TIMBERSPORTS® British Pro Championship and you can find out more by visiting https://www.stihl-timbersports.com/en