HAYWARD, Wis. (AP) — Three new women's world records have been set at the Lumberjack World Championships competition held in a small Wisconsin community, full of high-powered sawing, chopping, logrolling, speed climbing and cheers of “Yo-Ho!”
This year, 66 men and 40 women attended the three-day competition in Hayward that ended Saturday. They represented 16 states and nine countries.
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Zeb Pedersen, 2, attempts to cut weeds with a toy chainsaw during the Lumberjack World Championships, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Hayward, Wis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Spectators watch a men's log rolling heat during the Lumberjack World Championships, Saturday, July 18, 2026, in Hayward, Wis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Athletes compete in the men's standing chop during the Lumberjack World Championships, Saturday, July 18, 2026, in Hayward, Wis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Karolina Urbanová, of the Czech Republic, and Stephanie Naud, of Canada, celebrate after Urbanovà broke the world record in the women's underhand chop event during the Lumberjack World Championships, Saturday, July 18, 2026, in Hayward, Wis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Kate Witkowski, left, and Erin Lavoie compete in the Jill and Jill event during the Lumberjack World Championships, Saturday, July 18, 2026, in Hayward, Wis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Competitors take their gear seriously with custom-built chain saws, carefully sharpened axes and single buck saws that can cost upward of $400 just to sharpen.
Karolina Urbanová from the Czech Republic set world records in two events. She earned first place in the Women's Underhand Chop, cutting through 11 inches (27.9 centimeters) of white pine in 21.28 seconds. She also came in first in the Women's Standing Chop, cutting through 9 inches (22.8 centimeters) of white pine in 19.38 seconds.
Meredith Ingbretson of Hayward set a world record in the Women's Boom Run, sprinting across the water and back over eight red cedar logs in 13.78 seconds.
While women have been competing since the inaugural competition in 1960, the events they participate in have expanded significantly, organizers said. They started just competing in logrolling, and now participate in more than 20 timber sports events.
“When I started chopping I was chopping with the men,” said Nancy Zalewski, a competitor for 27 years who has trained others, including fellow participant Kate Witkowski.
The tradition of competition among lumberjacks began in the 1890s, according to the organization. The competition is held in the Lumberjack Bowl on the shores of Lake Hayward. In the past, the area had been a holding pond for log drives down the Namekagon River.
The lumberjack theme is ever-present with children in lumberjack socks, flannels and suspenders, and brands handing out blow-up axes and toy chain saws. Outside the competition bowl, there are wood-carving demonstrations, logrolling practice for kids, live music, food trucks and axe-themed events.
“The culture of it I think is really wonderful,” Witkowski said. “I don’t know any other sports where the athletes support each other like we do here because it’s such a niche sport and because the gear is so hard to come by that we’re all just trying to get better.”
Schmidt is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Associated Press reporter Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this story.
Zeb Pedersen, 2, attempts to cut weeds with a toy chainsaw during the Lumberjack World Championships, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Hayward, Wis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Spectators watch a men's log rolling heat during the Lumberjack World Championships, Saturday, July 18, 2026, in Hayward, Wis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Athletes compete in the men's standing chop during the Lumberjack World Championships, Saturday, July 18, 2026, in Hayward, Wis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Karolina Urbanová, of the Czech Republic, and Stephanie Naud, of Canada, celebrate after Urbanovà broke the world record in the women's underhand chop event during the Lumberjack World Championships, Saturday, July 18, 2026, in Hayward, Wis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Kate Witkowski, left, and Erin Lavoie compete in the Jill and Jill event during the Lumberjack World Championships, Saturday, July 18, 2026, in Hayward, Wis. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
The World Cup produced hundreds of spectacular moments and The Associated Press covered all 104 games over 39 days in the United States, Canada and Mexico from every angle.
Sidny Lopes Cabral stunned defending champion Argentina with a tying goal in extra time of their round of 32 match at Miami Gardens, Florida, on July 3. The Blue Sharks, who entered the tournament ranked 67th, trailed 2-1 in the 103rd minute when Cabral settled a long pass from Yannick Semedo near the left flank with his left foot. The 23-year-old, who plays in Turkey for Trabzonspor, cut past Alexis Mac Allister while playing the ball onto his right foot and from just inside the penalty area curled a shot past goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez and into the upper corner at the far post for his fourth goal in 14 international appearances. Argentina went on to win on an own goal.
Eliminated in consecutive group stages following its fourth World Cup title in 2014, Germany clinched its group title with wins over Curaçao and Ivory Coast before losing its first-round finale against Ecuador. Paraguay was in its first World Cup since 2010, began the tournament ranked 41st and advanced as a third-place team, opening with a 4-1 loss to the U.S., beating Turkey 1-0 and playing a 0-0 draw against Australia. Julio Enciso put Paraguay ahead in the 42nd minute of the round of 32 match at Foxborough, Massachusetts, on June 29 but Kai Havertz tied the score 12 minutes later. Germany, which began the World Cup ranked No. 10, appeared to go ahead on Jonathan Tah’s header of a corner kick in the 102nd minute but a video review concluded the goal should be disallowed because of a foul by Waldemar Anton on goalkeeper Orlando Gill. Germany won all four of its previous World Cup penalty kick shootouts, succeeding on 17 of 18 kicks — including 15 in a row. Havertz's attempt on the opening kick was saved by Gill, who also batted away Nick Woltemade's effort on Germany's fourth kick. Tah skied Germany's sixth kick over the crossbar, José Canale beat Manuel Neuer and Paraguay won the shootout 4-3 after the 1-1 draw only to lose 1-0 to France in the round of 16.
Pau Cubarsí, a 19-year-old Barcelona defender, played every minute of every match as Spain won its second title and first since 2010. He had 668 successful passes in 690 attempts, a 96.8% rate that was the second best in the tournament among players with 400 or more attempts, just behind Norway's Sander Berge at 96.9%. Cubarsí's total was second to teammate Rodri's 747. Cubarsí's 750 minutes tied teammate Marc Cucurella and Mac Allister for the tournament high among outfield players. At 19 years, 178 days he became the seventh youngest to win a World Cup, trailing Pelé (17-249), Ronaldo (17-298), Giuseppe Bergomi (18-174), teammate Lamine Yamal and Coutinho (both 19-6) and Marco Antonio (19-135).
Vozinha, Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper, leapt to his left to slap away Lionel Messi's quick free kick in the 73rd minute that was headed to the upper corner, keeping the score 1-1.
Matt Freese had a howler in the United States' 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16 that will long be replayed among goalkeeper lowlights. Brandon Mechele played a long ball from deep in his own end and when Charles De Ketelaere burst past American defender Chris Richards, Freese came off his line and about 5 yards outside the penalty area chested the ball, which had taken two hops. The 27-year-old, who became the No. 1 U.S. goalkeeper last year, was about to clear the ball with his left foot, hesitated and tried to pass to his left only for the ball to deflect off a leg of De Ketelaere toward midfield. Hans Vanaken scored from about 30 yards as defender Tim Ream missed his attempt to block the ball.
Qatari midfielder Assim Madibo broke the left tibia and fibula of Canadian midfielder Ismaël Koné with a tackle from behind in the 51st minute of a June 18 group stage match at Vancouver, British Columbia. Madibo received a red card and a five-game suspension. Koné had surgery and Madibo visited Koné at the hospital.
Norway's fans charmed fellow spectators and television viewers when they performed the Viking Ro w, chanting “Ro!” while mimicking oarsmen in stadiums and even in the bleachers above the TKTS booth selling Broadway theater tickets in New York's Times Square. Martin Ødegaard and Erling Haaland led the row celebration on the field following wins. Scotland's Tartan Army also left indelible memories, depleting Boston's beer supply and taking an excursion to a baseball games at Fenway Park and in Miami.
Raúl Jiménez scored Mexico's second goal in the tournament-opening 2-0 win over South Africa on June 11. An image from Associated Press photographer Natacha Pisarenko captured the joy of a player who scored on a header, six years after his career was endangered when he fractured his skull while playing for Wolverhampton in a clash of heads with Arsenal's David Luiz.
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Mexico's Raul Jimenez celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup Group A soccer match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
