TWO siblings from Wales have been crowned top of the chops after winning a national competition.
Zoe and Glen Penlington became the best loggers in the country at the 2022 Stihl Timbersports British Championships, with Zoe winning the first-ever Women’s Championship and Glen the new British Pro Champion.
Both events took place in front of a sell-out crowd at the Royal Three Counties Show in Malvern, where extreme sports fans watched the top male and female athletes compete in a head-to-head race against time across challenging disciplines.
READ MORE: Elgan Pugh is victorious at timbersports championship
Zoe said: “I’m very proud to be the overall winner in the inaugural British Women’s Championship, and then to watch my brother also win the men’s competition was the icing on the cake.
“All the women put on a fantastic display and we hope this will encourage more women to get involved in the original extreme sport.”
In the landmark women’s event, the high-octane action brought the best out of all the athletes in a close competition, with Zoe beating her closest rival Justine Narusa by only four points. The event was decided in the final heat, the Underhand Chop, where Zoe recorded the fastest time to take the title.
A delighted Sarah Cox took third place to complete the podium.
In similar fashion, the men’s event was also decided in the final heat, with Glen holding his nerve against Graham Turner (2nd place) and John Lewis (3rd place) to secure victory. Glen had finished runner-up to six-time champion Elgan Pugh last year.
Using axes, two-metre crosscut saws and chainsaws, Stihl Timbersports pushes each competitor’s skill and endurance levels to the absolute limit, where they are awarded maximum points for the fastest time in each discipline.
In addition, the British Rookie Championship also took place, with Jack Morris, also from Wales, claiming first place.
Simon Hewitt, head of marketing at STIHL GB, said: “We were very excited to introduce the first British Women’s Championship and it was great to see the crowds come out in force to cheer on all the athletes.
"After several Timbersports events behind closed doors, all the athletes have been training extremely hard to put on a great spectacle for the Timbersports fans and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
“Glen is a worthy winner after a dominant display and we’re especially thrilled for Zoe who will go down in history."
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