Three times a week, the members of the Arboga sport throwing club gather to throw knives and axes from different distances and against different kinds of wooden targets.
In mid-July, the world championships were held in England, where Köping resident Astrid Sundlöf won gold in the mountain man category – an open class where women and men compete against each other.
She became the first woman ever to take home the victory.
– Mountain man is precision throwing from three meters, with both knife and axe, explains Astrid Sundlöf.
Medal rain over Astrid
In addition to the Mountain Man win, she won seven more medals. Astrid believes that the reason for the success is that she managed to keep calm.
– I have probably not been so stressed this time, I have been a little more Hakuna Matata. I tried not to think about medals, but instead throw more relaxed.
Arboga sport throwing club was the first club to be formed within the sport in Sweden. The founder, Marcus Pehart, also won a WC gold medal in the pendulum knife discipline, which involves aiming at a moving target.
– I started throwing in 2017 and through Facebook I discovered that there was a community all over the world. Then I showed Astrid and all of a sudden there were 30 of us in my garden learning together. In connection with that, we started a club, says Marcus Pehart.
Great interest on Tiktok
Marcus shares the interest on social media, which he hopes will contribute to the growth of the sport.
– Right now I have around 220,000 followers on Tiktok. There I do more trick shots so it’s not actual competitions. But I think it means that you can open your eyes to this, he says.
Both Marcus and Astrid associate sport with relaxation.
– It’s a bit like mindfulness. It’s not like I’m thinking about laundry times when I’m here. You can’t think about anything other than breathing in, looking at the dot and throwing, calmly and calmly, says Astrid Sundlöf.
What is important to consider before throwing?
– The security. That we don’t throw when someone is nearby and that we have good shoes on our feet in case you drop something, says Astrid.
Another two of the club’s members, Jennie Ekroth and Simon Ekroth, each won a bronze medal.
“Had a stroke 14 months ago” – in the clip, Astrid Sundlöf and Marcus Pehart talk about the successes, emotions and charm of sports throwing.