Brad De Losa is looking ahead to his next competition after placing second in the Stihl Timbersports Australian Pro Championship at Wollongong.
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![Brad De Losa trained hard for the Stihl Timbersports Pro Australian Championship. He will be part of the Chopperoos team at the world championship later this year. File picture. Brad De Losa trained hard for the Stihl Timbersports Pro Australian Championship. He will be part of the Chopperoos team at the world championship later this year. File picture.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/177763270/7583f782-97a8-4c55-abef-45a52bc02615.jpg/r0_27_1017_601_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The former Blackheath man, now Lithgow woodchopping legend, was "intensely" preparing for the event to defend last year's title.
He competed in six different disciplines with axes and saws on September 16 but was narrowly beaten in the grand final.
De Losa was feeling confident about the competition, despite facing some challenges throughout the year.
![Final Pro rankings: Jamie Head, Brad De Losa and Laurence OToole. Final Pro rankings: Jamie Head, Brad De Losa and Laurence OToole.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/k3URiCr4E4bXjHGXmnwsZQ/7b8a8c04-65cb-4886-adec-d5f93772b03e.jpg/r0_105_2048_1261_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Australian Pro Championship was the first major woodchopping event for De Losa after also finishing runner up at the Australia trophy in Adelaide in March.
"It just didn't quite happen for me, unfortunately."
De Losa has spent some of the time in between tournaments competing in shows around the country, but wound down to focus on Wollongong.
"I went up to the Brisbane show in August had a bit of a hit out up there. Other than that, I haven't been travelling to too many shows," De Losa said. "I've just been concentrating on training at home to get set up for the Australian championships."
De Losa was up against the best 12 timbersports competitors from all around Australia. He was narrowly beaten by new Australian Pro Champion Jamie Head, also a sporting veteran. Head has competed for 29 years.
With back-to-back battles, it was the final rounds that proved crucial, where Head won against De Losa by just two points in a thrilling grand final.
Head will now travel to Stuttgart in November to represent Australia in the World Championships, leading the Chopperoos in the Team's World Championship. De Losa, Laurence O'Toole, Mitchell Argent, and Brayden Meyer have all qualified for the Chopperoos team.
De Losa grew up in Blackheath, where his family ran a fruit and vegetable shop for years. He did his first chop in the Megalong in a junior competition.
De Losa said "it's not getting any easier as I get older but it's an enjoyable competition".