A local axe thrower continues to cut down the competition on the world stage.
Petrolia native Brett Dewhirst won two world titles in axe throwing at the Blade Aces "Game of Throws II" competition in Las Vegas last month. He took top spot in the axe throwing pro category as well as the silhouette.
The 23-year-old Dewhirst said while he didn't finish as high in the knife throwing events, he was still able to set a new world record.
"In the gold cup round [of knife throwing] it's out of 90 total points in the head to head matchup, so I'm going from two metres, and then going back each metre back to seven metres every three throws. From there, the previous world record out of 90 was 85, and I scored an 87," he said.
Dewhirst said he first started axe throwing in 2016 at Sarnia's Valley Axe.
"A friend of mine asked me about three years ago if I wanted to go axe throwing before we went out drinking, and it snowballed from there. I was soon going there every weekend, I became a league member, then I started working there, and now I compete for them," said Dewhirst. "That's my home range, so I'm typically there most nights getting ready for my next throws."
Dewhirst said whether you're playing competitively or recreationally, axe throwing can be a lot of fun.
"It's still very new, but you can take it as seriously as you want to. So it's kind of like bowling -- you can just have it as something fun to do, or you can take it more seriously and do competitions," he said.
Dewhirst won the pro knife and pro axe events during the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame World Championships in Austin, Texas last fall, and won the gold cup head to head championship and conventional scoring title at last year's Canadian Nationals.
Dewhirst said his next big event is IKTHOF World Championships in Pembroke in June, followed by the IKTHOF National Championship in Sarnia later in the year