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Karolina Urbanova set two world records at the annual Lumberjack World Championships, which have been staged in Hayward, Wisconsin, since 1960 and feature disciplines from axe chopping to log rolling. The 24-year-old from the Czech Republic cut through nine inches of white pine in 19.38 seconds in the women’s standing block event to beat the prior mark of 21.17 seconds. She also established a new standard in the underhand chop by slicing 11 inches of the same wood in 21.28 seconds, improving on the previous best of 24.26 seconds. Event results confirm she was among 40 women who joined 66 male competitors this year from across the United States and overseas.
Urbanova first learned of lumberjack sports as a teenager when a neighbor in her small Czech village recruited her, her mother and her sister for training sessions held weekly in a local barn. Speaking to the BBC, she recalled that only about three girls were active in the sport across Europe at the time she started. “There were maybe like three girls doing this sport in Europe,” Urbanova said. “Telling people from the city that you are chopping wood usually every day, they looked weird at me. It makes me different … so it is what it is.”
Meredith Ingbretson, who was introduced to log rolling at age three in Hayward, broke the women’s boom run record with a time of 13.78 seconds, trimming the old mark of 13.98 seconds. The Hayward native, whose town was established around the timber industry in 1880, has competed in log rolling for 28 years and only recently expanded into sawing and chopping events. She told the BBC that she focused her training last year by removing alcohol and other elements that did not support her goals. Ingbretson competed in seven disciplines at the championships, including the mixed Jill and Jill sawing event.
Samantha LaSalle, who has participated in lumberjack sports since age five and now serves as event director, said women originally entered the world championships only in log rolling when the event began in 1960. LaSalle told the BBC that additional disciplines such as chopping and sawing opened to women over time, with the standing block chop added as recently as 2022. “They were saying: ‘We can do more. We can do this event that the men have traditionally done’,” LaSalle stated. She added that times have dropped each year as more women train and compete at elite levels.
Data compiled by the Lumberjack World Championships shows the number of female competitors has more than tripled during the past 30 years, a trend echoed in broader timber sports participation. According to a 2024 overview published by STIHL Timbersports, collegiate programs across North America have expanded access for both men and women, contributing to steady growth in the sport since its competitive roots in 19th-century North American logging camps. LaSalle, whose own six-year-old daughter has begun training, noted the championships foster a welcoming environment where international athletes often stay with host families to offset costs.
Prize money of $1,000 for each category winner rarely covers expenses for overseas travel, leading many competitors to rely on local hosts for lodging and training opportunities. Ingbretson and her husband, also a competitor, were hosted by a family in Tasmania during an earlier event, while her mother accommodated Canadian and Australian athletes for this year’s championships in Hayward. Speaking to the BBC, Ingbretson described the community as open and supportive. “I think that’s something special … you can go somewhere and they’ll let you stay and train you and work with you,” she said. Urbanova expressed pride in her records and noted that rising standards among female athletes have intensified competition while inspiring newcomers.
