And so, the final day began. That sounds rather serious—and perhaps, in a way, it was. I remember thinking that in a few hours, this adventure would come to an end. It felt a bit bittersweet and slightly strange, given how long I had been looking forward to this world championship.
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| It was almost over: the 2026 World Cup in Carpi, Italy |
This Saturday’s agenda focused primarily on long-distance throwing across the various disciplines—something I am notoriously bad at. Partly, I lack the technique, though in my defense, I should add that I have never really practiced it much. I did train for this aspect leading up to the World Championships, but the problem is that I throw at standard end-grain targets rather than a wooden plank; consequently, my target area at home is only about 60 cm in diameter. That compares to the 100 cm stipulated by the rules. In plain terms, this means that when I train, the task is just as much about aiming as it is about managing the rotation and achieving distance.
The order of events was the same as before. Knife was up first. Unlike at the Swedish Championships, there was a practice lane in Carpi right next to the actual competition target. However, the practice target was a wooden plank, whereas the competition target consisted of a massive board made of a type of wood unknown to me. I started with a quick warm-up session on the designated practice lane over by the avenue, as I needed to switch to a different set of knives for this event. For this, I use my "Nobu" knives from Bullseye Blades; they have a very pleasing flight path and are long enough that I find the rotation relatively easy to calculate. Over in the field, the rest of the warm-up went well. After two or three rounds, I managed to stick a knife from a distance of about 15.80 meters—right around my personal best. I probably couldn't hope for much more than that. If I could repeat that performance, it would be a good day.
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| Time for another warm-up |
Then it was time to compete. Like most people, I had to wait in a long line, as there was only one competition target and the event can take some time since you need to think a bit between throws. Furthermore, measuring takes longer than tallying up points in precision throwing.
Knife
As usual, I start with a "safety throw" from the minimum permitted distance. At the World Championships, that’s seven meters, and at the Swedish Championships, it’s four meters.* My first throw was a stick. At least I was up and running now, having qualified for the next zone. Usually, the nine-meter mark is just a stepping stone with these knives, as the throw needs to be exactly the same as the seven-meter one to succeed. Yet, somehow, I managed to miss two throws. It was likely down to nerves, though the fact is I don't remember exactly why. To make up for it, I landed a hit on my first attempt from the 7–10 meter range, scoring 11.27. Everything went according to plan; I always choose that distance (11.30–11.40 m) so I can throw by the handle. The next zone—13–16 meters—was secured. Now was the time to improve my score with the last two throws in the current zone. First came a miss, followed by a stick from 12.75 meters. That somewhat unusual distance requires you to give a little thought to the speed of the knife's rotation.
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| My result in long-distance knife throwing |
However, I had now reached the distances where I usually struggle, even in practice. Things often come to a halt around the 13.50-meter mark, and that was the case this time as well. After hitting 13.29 meters on my second throw, I couldn't go any further. While I certainly qualified for the 16–19 meter range, three failed attempts at 17.5 meters brought my performance to a close.
It was a bit frustrating to have thrown further during the warm-up, but on the other hand, it wasn't a bad result by my standards. It was enough for a somewhat surprising 8th-place finish, which I am pleased with.
No Spin
You might think that, since I am primarily a no-spin thrower, this is a favorite discipline of mine. But I can reveal that isn't the case. My personal best in practice is a modest 11.30 meters, and even shorter in competition. I don't stand much of a chance here. Fortunately, the no-spin event starts at shorter distances than the knife event, so the first zone is 4–7 meters. I managed a throw of 4.48 meters there just to play it safe—meaning I qualified for the next zone.
But that was when the major debacle began. I quickly made a throw that missed. There was nothing unusual about that, except that someone over at the judges' table raised an objection. I didn't understand why, but after listening to the Italian for a while, it became clear they claimed I had made too many throws. It was completely baffling. On the contrary, I still had one throw left within the zone. The UKAT rules are simple: you get three throws per zone, and the longest one counts. If you miss all three, you’re out; if you land one, you advance to the next zone. Furthermore, the competition director had reiterated these rules during the briefing on Thursday morning before the event started. But apparently, they had decided to change the rules *during* the competition—likely because the organizers were running well behind schedule and wanted to speed things up. It was starting to get dark by then. Now, you would automatically move to the next zone as soon as you landed a knife.
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| In the end, knives were thrown in the dark, illuminated by car headlights. |
It is absolute madness for two reasons. First, the differences in distance become enormous. Imagine throwing a knife from 7.05 meters and then not getting another throw until the 10-meter mark. It’s like raising the bar by thirty centimeters at a time in the high jump.
The second reason is that you simply do not change the rules in the middle of a competition! I grew increasingly vocal and annoyed; people were arguing in Italian, and I tried to find someone who spoke English since they were talking right over my head. Even when someone finally translated what I was saying, the officials still looked completely baffled. That part was handled terribly—especially since I had to wait nearly twenty minutes before I could continue.
I was angry then, and that’s never good. However, I managed to land the second throw from 7 meters. Fueled by pure anger, I unleashed a "power throw"—much like throwing a baseball—and managed to stick the final knife from 7.81 meters. Then I threw myself out of the competition at the 10-meter mark, as I basically always do. I really can't throw long distances using the No-Spin technique. It’s worth mentioning in passing that the result was good enough for 16th place.
Axe
There isn't much to say about the axe throwing. It went about as well as it possibly could. What is remarkable is that, at the moment, I throw the axe roughly the same distance as the knife. After five throws, I finished at 13.67 meters in 22nd place. I am actually pleased with that ranking. The competition is absolutely teeming with skilled axe throwers from many countries—competitors I simply cannot beat. But I threw about as well as I currently can, which was the goal.
Amidst everything else, I managed to play a few matches of Coutanque over those three days—including a debut in the brand-new doubles format, where I teamed up with Flora from Julitta. We managed to win one match and put up a good fight in two others (which we ultimately lost), meaning we didn't advance past the group stage. Still, we had fun—though it’s worth noting that this game is hardly our top choice when it comes to training.
Some final thoughts
It turned out to be a strange World Championship for me. The knife throwing went worse than expected—and by that, I mean relative to the amount of time I’d actually put into training and the results I usually achieve there. Even allowing for the pressure of competition and nerves, I should have thrown better. After all, I proved at the three-meter distance that it is actually possible! That gold medal was what saved my championship.
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| Happy gold medalist facing tough competition from Russia and China, among other countries |
It has nothing to do with anyone else, nor with medals. However, it was one of the few results that truly reflected my capabilities. I usually score just over 100 points in No Spin, and allowing for the standard "competition deduction," I should have scored slightly higher—but that was ruined by an inexplicable "drop." Still, when I threw to my full potential, a good ranking followed.
To summarize my overall performance: first, it is worth noting that you earn points in every event—even those you don't actively compete in or train for. That is something to take into account. As it stands, however, I am ranked number 21 on the UKAT ranking list.
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| The medal and the knives used to win it: Throwingzone Pathfinder |
In the individual events, my best placements were:
- 1, 3m No Spin
- 8, Hunter
- 8, long distance knife
- 11, 3 m knife
- 12, Walk Back No Spin
I should also mention a 21st-place finish in Speed Throwing, even though I only compete in that event at the World and National Championships because I lack the opportunity to train for it. I also set a personal best in another event I don’t train for: Duel. I improved my qualifying time to 1.32 seconds, securing 17th place; the top 16 advanced to the actual duels.
After returning home
Now that I’m back home after my vacation and a couple of intense weeks—including a new training course and wrapping up my sports instructor certification—it’s time to start throwing again. Or rather, I do throw every now and then, in addition to my training with VXO Sportkastning.
Oh, and I almost forgot: there was also a Swedish Championship a month or so after I returned from Italy. It went pretty well, and I managed to become the Swedish champion in both No-Spin and knife throwing this year. That was a little while ago now, but perhaps I should write something about that, too.
/ J - over and out
* The reason is that everyone should be able to participate.
** It’s a bit like the fact that I didn’t become "Best Thrower" at this year’s Swedish Championship, even though I won both Walk Back No Spin and Walk Back Knife—making me the Swedish champion in both knife and no-spin disciplines this year. You might assume that makes me the best knife thrower at the championship, but that’s not the case. You might wonder why; well, for instance, I don’t throw Double Bit, which—for some strange reason—is included in this championship. The axes are incredibly expensive, and few people throw them these days, yet the event still counts toward the total score.
