Belgium emerged victorious, decisively defeating the strong contenders from Slovakia in the final
Belgium has claimed victory in the inaugural World Forklift Championship held in Bavaria, attended by 17,000 people.
On October 25 and 26, the world's best forklift drivers gathered in the heart of forklift sports, dazzling thousands of fans both on-site and online with their impressive skills on the championship course.
For the first time in StaplerCup history, titles for Men's World Champion and Women's World Champion were awarded.
With participants qualifying through national and international tournaments, the stakes were higher than ever.
Two competitors rose to the challenge: Stefan Jenniges and Tina Föhre-Scheller delivered standout performances across two days and five grueling rounds, earning their titles as World Champions on Saturday evening.
This year also marked the debut of the Forklift Team World Championship, where national teams — much like in the FIFA World Cup — competed for global glory.
Belgium emerged victorious, decisively defeating the strong contenders from Slovakia in the final.
A total of eleven countries sent their best drivers to compete for the title of Forklift Team World Champion.
However, the Kaup HeroRamp proved too challenging for six teams, as Latvia, Slovenia, Estonia, France, Lithuania, and Austria were eliminated in Round 3.
In a thrilling semifinal, teams from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Slovakia faced off, but none of the four teams managed to safely bring their Big Ball towers to the finish line.
This triggered the distance rule, with final spots awarded to the teams that had traveled the furthest.
Belgium and Slovakia, each reaching 29 meters, advanced to the final, while Germany and the Netherlands, at 26 meters each, were eliminated.
In the final, Belgium and Slovakia raced nearly side-by-side up the Kaup HeroRamp, but the Slovakian tower toppled, allowing the Belgian team to complete their run, earning the title of Team World Champion.