The 2026 U.S. championships delivered three national winners, a world record and two national records, underscoring the sport’s growing emphasis on precision under pressure.
STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® crowned Josh Wilson, Martha King and Matt Cogar as its 2026 U.S. champions after three days of competition at German Fest in Milwaukee. The weekend featured a Hot Saw Showdown, the U.S. Women’s Championship and the U.S. Men’s Championship, with athletes competing for national titles across high-speed sawing and axe disciplines. The results included a world record, two national records and several closely contested finishes, placing execution and consistency at the centre of the competition.
The event reflects the distinctive structure of STIHL TIMBERSPORTS®, an international lumberjack sports series built around three axe disciplines and three sawing disciplines. Athletes compete against one another and the clock in events including Stock Saw, Single Buck, Underhand Chop, Standing Block Chop, Springboard and Hot Saw. In Milwaukee, the format created separate paths to victory while keeping the broader championship weekend focused on measurable speed, accuracy and control.
Wilson won the inaugural U.S. Hot Saw Showdown after advancing through a field shaped by sub-five-second performances and several disqualifications. King reclaimed the women’s title for her third career national championship, prevailing by just over five seconds after four disciplines. Cogar returned to the top of the men’s field with a cumulative time of 1:44.75, earning his eighth national title and finishing just over six seconds ahead of defending champion Nate Hodges.
The strongest evidence of the weekend’s competitive intensity came through the records. Kathryn Witkowski set a women’s Single Buck world record with a 13.68-second run, Lauren Bergman established a women’s Standing Block Chop national record in 24.42 seconds, and Mark Bouquin recorded a national-best 10.68-second Single Buck. Those performances sat alongside Cogar’s consistent six-discipline campaign and King’s balanced results across four events, showing how the championships rewarded both peak speed and repeatable execution.
The release reported that Team USA is scheduled to compete at the 2026 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® World Championship on October 30–31 at Porsche-Arena in Stuttgart, Germany. Cogar is scheduled to represent the United States in the Individual World Championship on October 31, while the team event is scheduled for October 30. For STIHL TIMBERSPORTS, the Milwaukee results provide a clear competitive narrative ahead of that international meeting: new champions emerged, established athletes reclaimed titles and the margin for error remained measured in seconds.
