Hiab has excitedly announced the winner of the World Crane Championship (WCC) held on September 22nd and 23rd in connection with the IAA exhibition in Hannover, Germany. Andreas Öhman from Sweden won the championship final with a time of 2:32:89. Jani Väisänen from Finland came in second place with a time of 2:38:95, and Tim Hansen from Denmark came in third place with a time of 2:33:18 after winning the bronze final.
In the finals of the third World Crane Championships, the crane drivers got to operate the cutting-edge HIAB X-HiPro 232 mid-range loader crane. The competition tested the contestants' skills and ability to move water cans along a predefined path in the shortest possible time.
"I was very nervous during the competition, I had a high heart rate during the whole time, but now it feels so good. The WCC competition was very well arranged and a lot of fun - you meet people from all over the world!"
- Andreas Öhman commented after the race
Andreas will return home with the title of World Crane Champion, a EUR 5,000 travel cheque and a EUR 20,000 voucher to purchase of a new HIAB loader crane. Lotta Sjöberg, the global marketing manager of HIAB Loader Cranes, congratulated Öhman on the championship title.
The first-ever World Crane Championship in 2015, sponsored and organised by Hiab, launched a new tradition in the industry, giving crane operators from around the world the chance to showcase their skills and measure their abilities against those of their peers. This year, the finalists came from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Spain, the United Kingdom and Slovenia.
Joakim Andersson, the Senior Vice President of Hiab Cranes, commented: "I want to warmly congratulate Andreas Öhman for the win and all the finalists for a great competition. Andreas put up a stunning show at the World Crane Championships. The national qualifiers leading up the finals were truly amazing, with hundreds of professional crane drivers taking part. We at Hiab are thrilled to have hosted this event for the third time, where the industry's best drivers have proven that they really have what it takes. We look forward to the next championship final at the IAA 2020 exhibition in Hannover!"