Urbanova Sets Two New World Records at Lumberjack Championships

Karolina Urbanova, a 24‑year‑old from the Czech Republic, made headlines at the Lumberjack World Championships held in Hayward, Wisconsin. She posted a standing‑block time of 19.38 seconds to shave 1.79 seconds off the previous mark of 21.17 seconds. In the under‑hand chop she sliced 11 inches of pine in 21.28 seconds, improving the old best of 24.26 seconds.

Urbanova’s journey began when a neighbor introduced her to lumberjack sports as a teenager. She trained weekly in a barn with a male competitor, her mother and sister, experimenting with different axes and techniques. Over the years she competed across Europe, discovering she had a natural speed that now earns her global recognition.

Meredith Ingbretson, a Hayward native, also broke a women’s record by winning the boom‑run event in 13.78 seconds, edging the former best of 13.98 seconds. Ingbretson has been competing in logrolling for 28 years and only recently added chopping and sawing to her repertoire. She credits a year of disciplined lifestyle changes—cutting out alcohol and anything that distracts from her goals—as the key to her latest achievement.

This year’s championships featured 40 women alongside 66 men, a notable shift from the few female participants Urbanova recalled in Europe. According to Samantha LaSalle, the event’s director, female participation has more than tripled over the past three decades. The women’s standing‑block event, added in 2022, exemplifies how female athletes are pushing into traditionally male‑dominated disciplines.

The prize purse of $1,000 per winner rarely covers travel expenses, so competitors rely on host families for accommodation. Urbanova stayed with a Wisconsin family, while Ingbretson’s husband and fellow competitor hosted her in Tasmania last winter. This spirit of hospitality extends to mothers who still compete, creating a tight‑knit, multi‑generational community.

Social media and word‑of‑mouth have become powerful tools for attracting women to timber sports. Colleges across the United States now run lumberjack programs that enroll both genders. Ingbretson, who works as a community education director at Hayward High, says she feels like a local celebrity and enjoys seeing young athletes cheer her on.

Both athletes have ambitious plans. Ingbretson aims for an all‑round title, recognizing how rare it is to excel in multiple disciplines. Urbanova hopes her success inspires other women and plans to keep raising the bar as competition intensifies.

The growing presence of women at the Lumberjack World Championships signals a broader cultural shift, turning a once‑niche sport into a globally inclusive arena where skill and dedication triumph regardless of gender. The community’s welcoming ethos and the athletes’ relentless pursuit of excellence suggest that the sport’s future will be defined by even faster times and richer diversity.