2010 World Outdoor Championship Results Pretoria South Africa
15/09/2010 - WORLD OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 1
The 2010 World Outdoor Championships were this year hosted by the South African Tug of War Federation in Pretoria. This is the second time the event has taken place in Pretoria, the last time in 2002. The ground in 2002 was very hard, which made for very difficult pulling conditions. However the ground had been treated in the build up to this event to address that problem. Despite regular watering, the ground was still quite hard, but after a few ends, it did start to cut up although not providing deep holes, which meant that we did not see many long ends.
The first day of the 2010 World Outdoor Championships saw teams competing in the 580 kilos and 700 kilos weight classes for senior men, 540 kilos for senior women, and 560 kilos for junior men. A non TWIF junior ladies 480 kilos club competition also took place on the day for South African teams. Photo: Holland TOWC competing in the open 700 kilos competition.
The day started with the mens 700 kilos competition. English interest in this competition came in the form of Felton Eccles from Somerset, and Holland from Staffordshire. Both teams got off to a good start, with Holland defeating Vechtlust from the Netherlands. Felton Eccles also got off to a good start with a very good 2 ends to 0 win over Latvian team Velkonis. Both Holland and Felton competed in the same group, with the competition split into two groups. The two English sides met half way through the group stage of the competition, having a good pull, with both teams taking a share of the spoils, winning one end each. Despite both teams getting some good wins over tough opposition, defeats and dropped ends to Lakehill from Ireland, Shongau from Switzerland, and Valsbaii from South Africa meant that neither side progressed to the semi finals. Photo: Felton Eccles competing in the open 700 kilos competition
The semi finals was between Veenseboys from the Netherlands who won group 1, and Shongau from Switzerland as runners up of group 2. Lakehill from Ireland faced Eibergen from the Netherlands in the second semi final. Veenseboys comfortably dispatched of Shongau by 2 ends to 0 to maker the final, with Eibergen getting a hard earned win over Lakehill to set up an all Dutch final. The bronze match between Lakehill and Shongau saw Lakehill dictate the pull from start to finish and they took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Veenseboys from the Netherlands put on an impressive display of power pulling by defeating current European Club 640 champions Eibergen by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Seigelau - winners of the junior 560 kilos club competition
The Junior 560 kilos event was contested at the same time as the mens 700 kilos event, and was pulled as a straight group. There were many good South African teams in the event, joined by teams from Germany, Chinese Taipei and the Basque country. The group stage was dominated by Drosty from South Africa, and Dream Team Seigelau from Germany. Both teams progressed to the semi final stage with relative ease, followed by two other South African teams from Drackenstien and Oakdale A. The team from Chinese Taipei finished in 5th place to miss out on the semi finals after a good display for their first world championships. Like with the indoor, they pull a good style, and are certainly ones to watch on the outdoor in the future. Photo: Lakehill - 700 kilos bronze medallists
The semi finals were again dominated by Seigalau and Drosty who won their respective matches in impressive style to leave Oakdale and Drackenstien to fight it out for the bronze. Both teams fought very hard for the bronze medal, but in the end, it was Drackenstien who took the bronze medal. The final was yet again another clash between a German and a South African youth team. The final saw Drosty dominate the early exchanges, but the German team hung on to take a hard fought first end. The second end saw the Germans assert a little more control, and they took the second end to take the gold. Photo: Team Army competing in the open 580 kilos competition
The mens 580 kilos in the afternoon was pulled as two groups. With many good teams competing. English involvement in this event came in the form of Team Army. Despite all their efforts, they failed to make the semi finals in a group containing world class opposition, including Engelberg from Switzerland, and Boley from Ireland. It was those two teams who progressed from their group, with Engelberg going through in first place, Boley in second. The second group was won by Veenseboys from the Netherlands who were chasing their second gold medal of the day, however the pulling was very close to decide second place, with Gortletteragh from Ireland, Derryogue from Northern Ireland, Mosnang and Ebersecken from Switzerland, and Goiherri from the Basque country all with a good chance of finishing second. It was the Basque team that ended up pipping Mosnang to second place overall, and they progressed through to the semi finals. Chinese Taipei - ladies 540 kilos open club silver medallists
The semi finals saw Veenseboys defeat a determined Boley by 2 ends to 0, with Engelberg having a tough task in overcoming Goiherri by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. The bronze medal match saw Goiherrie pull very well to hold there positions against Boley to take a hard earned bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final between Veenseboys and Engelberg was a case of seeing how long Engelberg could hold onto the strong Dutch team to try and find any weaknesses. The first end saw Veenseboys win in impressive style. On the second end, Engelberg threw everything at the Dutch side, drawing back any rope they lost, however they were picking up cautions on the way, before the Dutchmen drew the rope back to haul Engelberg over the line to claim their second gold medal of the day. Photo: Veenseboys - 580 kilos open club champions
The ladies 540 kilos weight class was pulled as a straight group, with some good teams from the Netherlands, South Africa, Lithuania, USA, the Basque Country, Japan, and Chinese Taipei. The surprise team was certainly the Chinese Taipei ladies team, having not competed at many World Outdoor Championships. They made it through the the semi finals, along with Koapman and Vechtlust from the Netherlands, and the South African team. The Chinese Taipei team pulled off a great 2 ends to 0 win over the South Africans to make it to the final, where they met Vechtlust, leaving Koapman and the South African team to fight it out for the bronze. The South Africans pulled very strongly in the bronze pull off to win by 2 ends to 0. The final between Chinese Taipei and Vechtlust was a good contest, with Chinese Taipei pulling a good level rope, just like what they are renowned for on the indoor. They got a good drive early on, but the Dutch held firm to take the first end. On the second end Chinese Taipei managed to unsettle the Dutch, but were a couple of lifts short of bringing them over, with Vechtlust taking the gold medal. It was a good performance from the Taipei team to take their first ever outdoor world medal. They certainly look like they can be as good on the outdoor as they are currently at indoor tug of war. Photo: Vechtlust - ladies 540 kilos open club competition
16/09/2010 - WORLD OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 2
The second day of the open club competition started with the mixed 4+4 600 kilos event. This competition was pulled as a straight group of 11, with English interest coming in the form of Holland TOWC. Holland made a strong start, winning their first two pulls two straight, before going on to pull well in the remainder of their group matches, only losing to Gaztedi of the Basque country. Holland progressed to the semi finals along with Gaztedi, Jaersrust from the Netherlands, and Koapman, also from the Netherlands. In the semi-finals, Holland comfortably defeated Kopaman by 2 ends to 0 to reach their first ever final at a TWIF world championships. They would alter meet Gaztedi who overcame Jargersrust in a tough semi final pull. The bronze medal match went to three ends with Jagersrust taking the bronze by 2 ends to 1. The final between Holland and Gaztedi was a good pull, with Holland taking an early advantage, before Gaztedi got themselves back into the pull to take the first end. The second end saw Holland again take some early rope, but Gaztedi seized the advantage to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0, giving Holland the silver. Photo: Goldschuere - winners of the open under 23 championship
The under 23 600 kilos competition also took place alongside the 600 4+4 competition and was pulled as a straight group. Along with strong teams from South Africa, clubs from Switzerland, Germany, Chinese Taipei, USA, and Belgium also took part. There was some close pulling at the start of the event with all teams dropping ends. The team from Chinese Taipei again gave another strong showing taking ends from Mosnang and Goldscheure early on. Goudini were also strong in defeating Mosnang and taking points from Goldscheure. Most of the other teams also acquitted themselves well, including DJs from the USA, who were competing in the under 23 category for the first time. Goudini, Goldscheure, Mosnang, and Chinese Taipei all progressed to the semi finals. Mosnang defeated Chinese Taipei, with Goldscheure defeating Goudini. The bronze medal match was a real tough encounter between two very strong teams, but it was Goudini who managed to break down Chinese Taipei to bring home the bronze medal. The final was between the German team of Goldscheure, and the Swiss team of Mosnang. Golscheure kept better body angles on the hard ground to defeat Mosnang by 2 ends to 0 to take a well deserved gold medal. Photo: Holland TOWC pulling in the 4+4 event
The afternoon saw the 640 kilos and ladies 540 kilos competitions take place. England teams in the 640 kilos competition were from Felton Eccles, Team Army, and Holland. The competition was split into four groups. Felton Eccles battled through their group to finish in first place ahead of Goudini from South Africa who progressed in second place. Holland and Team Army were both placed in the same group, but despite some good performances, neither side progressed through to the knock out stages. Their group was won by Boley from Ireland, with Goiherri from the Basque country progressing through in second place. Photo: Holland TOWC 4+4 team after winning the silver e.
The quarter finals saw Boley defeat Lakehill, Eibergen defeat Goudini, Felton Eccles defeat Veenseboys B, and Veenseboys A defeat Fam. Janssens from Belgium. The semi finals saw Eibergen win well against Boley to earn a place in the final, with Veenseboys A defeating Felton Eccles. Felton Eccles went into the bronze medal match where they faced Boley from Ireland. Felton pulled strongly in this match and managed to contain Boley’s counter attacks really well to take Boley over the line to take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0 to win a well deserved bronze medal. The final was the second of the weekend between Veenseboys and Eibergen, both of the Netherlands. Eibergen, current European Champions had a point to prove after defeat in the 700 kilos on the previous day and they pulled strongly early on, putting Veenseboys under some real pressure for the first time in the whole of the open club competition. Veenseboys however had a good long counter lift, which Eibergen on a couple of occasions did well to contain, but no-one was going to deny the Veenseboys their third gold medal of the competition and they took the 640 gold by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Team Army Squad
Bedford competed in the ladies 500 kilos competition, pulled as a straight group of 11. The teams from the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland all kept a low profile in this weight, but there were still strong teams from Germany, Chinese Taipei, USA, and Belgium all taking part. Bedford met Chinese Taipei. Fam. Janssens and Dietenbach from Germany in their first three pulls coming away with two points from the first three matches, however, the team settled down, and they went on to win all the remaining pulls in their group to reach the semi final. Chinese Taipei finished as overall group winners, with Bedford, Fam. Janssens and Dietenbach all finishing on level points. Dietenbach finished in second place after cautions and weight were taken into consideration. Leaving the draw to be decided on the toss of a coin. Bedford were drawn against Chinese Taipei, with the Chinese Taipei team winning by 2 ends to 0 to reach there second final of the weekend. Dietenbach won the second semi final by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. Bedford went into the bronze medal match with high hopes, but came undone at the last hurdle, with Fam. Janssens getting Bedford moving early on. Beedford looked as though they were going to stop them, but it was too close to the line before they could get the rope back, and it was the team from Belgium that ended up taking the bronze medal. The final turned out to be a great performance from the Chinese Taipei team, and they were too strong for Dietenbach, taking their first ever outdoor gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies 500 kilos - 4th place in the open competition.
The evening saw the opening ceremony for the closed world championships take place, with traditional African dancing, as well as a speech from TWIF president Cathal McKeever to mark the 50th anniversary of the Tug of War International Federation. England’s representatives in the opening ceremony were Diane McDonald of Bedford Ladies, and Emmett Power and Ryan Tommins of Sandhurst Youth. Photo: Felton Eccles - world 640 kilos bronze medallists
17/09/2010 - WORLD OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 3
The closed competition started with the mens 700 kilos competition, later followed by the junior mens competition at 560 kilos. England did not enter a team in the mens 700 kilos competition, so it was a chance to watch some of the other countries in action. 9 teams competed in the competition, with the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Ireland making the semi finals. The Netherlands defeated Sweden to reach the final, whilst Switzerland defeated Ireland. The bronze medal match went to three ends with Sweden taking the first end against Ireland, before Ireland took the next two ends to take the bronze. The final was another three end match, with the Swiss taking the first end. On the second end, Switzerland were unable to contain the big Dutch lifts and they took the second end to level the match. The Dutch won the toss to choose the winning end and they went on to secure the gold medal. Photo: England Youth Team
England entered a team in the junior 560 kilos competition, this year being represented by Sandhurst Youth, with most of their team representing England for the first time. It was a tough competition with no easy teams to pull against at youth international level. England started against Chinese Taipei, who sent very strong sides to the World Championships this time in the ladies and youth weights. On top of the ground they were not an easy team to pull, and despite both teams trying to get momentum, Chinese Taipei got England moving and they took the first pull by 2 ends to 0. It was to be a tough day all round for the England youth with defeats to Switzerland, South Africa, Sweden and Germany, which meant that they missed out on a place in the semi finals. Despite not winning any ends it was a good performance, and a good learning experience for our youth. There will be an opportunity for a youth team to represent on home soil again next year at the European Championships in Minehead. Photo: Switzerland Youth Team on the podium
Switzerland, Sweden and South Africa all made it to the semi finals, but Germany and Chinese Taipei finished on level points. Germany picked up less cautions in the competition, and they progressed to the semi finals. Switzerland defeated Germany in their semi final, and Sweden managed to overcome South Africa by 2 ends to 1 to reach the final. The bronze pull off was an exciting battle between the home nation and Germany. Germany took the first end, but South Africa levelled the pull to take the match to three ends. Germany managed to hang on to take a hard earned bronze medal. The final was between Switzerland and Sweden. Switzerland had much more left in the tank than Sweden and they earned a good 2 ends to 0 win to win the youth gold medal. Photo: England 580 kilos team
The mens 580 kilos competition followed in the afternoon and England were represented by current European Champions Norton. England went into the event with high hopes of getting a medal, but the early stage of the competition proved to be a stern test. The 580 kilos competition this year was fiercely competitive, with 5 or 6 teams out of the 11 looking like they were capable of reaching the final. England started off with a tough pull against Germany first on, securing a 2 ends to 0 win. England then met the other early favourites – Netherlands and Sweden – losing to both teams by 2 ends to 0 to put England under some early pressure. England then had Northern Ireland, taking the first end, but losing their balance on the second end to drop points to Northern Ireland. England then pulled off a good 2 ends to 0 win over Ireland to get themselves back into the competition, rounding off the competition without dropping any more points, including a good 2 ends to 0 win over Switzerland. Photo: Netherlands 580 kilos winning team
England qualified for the semi finals along with Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, and were drawn against Sweden who had earlier defeated them in the group. The ground had cut up more now which gave both teams a sound footing. Sweden took the first end after England were harshly blown out for receiving three cautions. England then assumed control for the next two ends to take a good win into the final. England met the Netherlands who defeated Switzerland in the other semi final. The Netherlands were the hot favourites going into the final, having only lost one end in the group. England gave a good account of themselves on the first end, but could not quite tie down the big lift and row style of the Dutch team. The second end went the same way and the Netherlands secured their second gold medal of the championship. It was a great result for England after a terrible start, and the pullers came off the field happy that they won a silver medal when earlier in the competition it looked as though they could have finished out of the medals. Switzerland secured the bronze medal by defeating Sweden by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England 580 kilos team on the podium with their silver medals
The ladies 540 kilos competition took place at the same time as the mens 580 kilos competition. England did not have a team entered in this weight class, but the event was won by Sweden, with the Netherlands winning silver, South Africa the bronze and Chinese Taipei finished in fourth place. Photo: Sweden ladies winning the ladies 540 kilos title
18/09/2010 – WORLD OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 4
Day four started with the 600 4+4 competition. England were not entered in this weight class, but 7 countries entered the event. Switzerland, Netherlands, South Africa and Sweden made the cross over with the Netherlands and Sweden both progressing to the final. South Africa and Switzerland both fought it out for the bronze medal, with Switzerland taking a hard fought pull by 2 ends to 0 to take the bronze medal. The final was between Sweden and the Netherlands. Sweden dropped in with good angles to start with and started to inch the Dutch team over. The Dutch tried to get some big lifts through but Sweden managed to contain them to take the first end. The second end went much the same way and Sweden took the first TWIF international 4+4 title. Photo: Sweden 4+4 Team
The under 23 600 kilos competition was fought out by 9 countries. There was some competitive pulling in this weight with Germany, Switzerland, South Africa and Sweden all progressing through to the semi finals. Germany defeated South Africa and Switzerland defeated Sweden, both in two straight ends. The bronze medal pull off saw Sweden defeated a spirited South Africa team by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Switzerland dominate Germany by 2 ends to 0 to secure the Under 23 title for the second year running. Photo: Switzerland Under 23 Team
The afternoon saw the men 640 kilos and ladies 500 kilos competitions take place. England were represented in the ladies 500 kilos competition by Bedford Ladies. England started off with a good 2 ends to 0 win over former world champions USA, in a tough field. England failed to make the cross-over in what was a very competitive weight class, with all teams pulling at a high standard. The teams that made the cross over were Germany, Chinese Taipei, Sweden and the Netherlands. Sweden defeated the Netherlands, and Chinese Taipei defeated Germany. Netherlands and Germany fought it out for the bronze medal, and it was Germany who took the two ends to earn the bronze medal. The final between Sweden and Chinese Taipei was between a team who was not been defeated for a few years in ladies tug of war, and another team who are an emerging force. It was Chinese Taipei who caused the biggest upset of the whole tournament by defeating Sweden by 2 ends to 0 to win their first ever outdoor world title. Photo: England Ladies 500 team
The 640 kilos competition saw England being represented by Felton Eccles. This was another great competition. England made a good start by defeating Germany by 2 ends to 0, and progressed through the competition, only dropping ends to Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands, as well as getting a good 2 ends to 0 win over Ireland early on in the group stages. England progressed to the semi finals in second place in the overall group ahead of Ireland and Switzerland, with the Netherlands finishing in first place in the group. In the semi finals, England were drawn against defending world champions Switzerland. England dropped in well on both ends, not allowing Switzerland to get into the pull, driving Switzerland out in two straight ends. The Netherlands won their semi final against Ireland to reach their third final of the mens weight categories, leaving Ireland and Switzerland to fight it out for the bronze. Despite losing to Switzerland in the group stages Ireland put in a good performance take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. England went into the final looking to inflict defeat on the Dutch mens team for the first time in the championships. Despite dropping in well against the Dutch on both ends, the long lifts and rows of the Netherlands proved to be effective yet again, and they went on to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to finish off a fine weekend of pulling for them. Photo: England 640 kilos team
Well done to all the England teams and clubs who travelled to the event to take part. It took a lot of commitment by everyone to travel and compete at the event, and to come away with two medals in the open competition, and two medals in the closed competition is a great achievement considering we did not have the large contingent of pullers travelling to the event like we have done in previous years. England TWIF judges were Ray-Fray Smith and Mike Callaghan. Wendy Dyer was chief recorder, and Pete Dyer was assistant chief marshall. Alan Ludkin was commentator and liaison officer. Photo: Netherlands 640 kilos team
Next year, we host the 2011 European Outdoor Championships and World Junior and Under 23 Championships in Minehead, England. We look forward to competing in that event, and we look forward to welcoming everyone from Europe and the world. Photo: England 640 kilos team with their silver medals
Watch the 2010 World Outdoor Tug of War Championships Highlight Video below:
