The inaugural StaplerCup Forklift World Championship has been held in Linde MH Arena in Aschaffenburg with 17,000 fans attending and three world champions crowned.

The two day event, held October 25 and 26, saw competitors complete five gruelling rounds with Stefan Jenniges from Oberlascheid named the Men’s World Champion after a close final where his opponent, Jörg Klößinger was disqualified after a rule violation.

From a field of 14, Tina Föhre-Scheller from Rothenburg ob der Tauber was the first woman to be named the Women’s World Champion.

In keeping with firsts, this year also marked the debut of the Forklift Team World Championship, which, a statement from organisers explained was “where national teams — much like in the FIFA World Cup — competed for global glory”.

Belgium was crowned the winner after “decisively defeating the strong contenders from Slovakia in the final”.

The official world championship includes national and international Forklift World Championship Qualifiers, culminating in the StaplerCup Finals, traditionally held in late October in Aschaffenburg, Germany.

The event, launched in 2005, has traditionally been a German Championship event, open only to German competitors and businesses. This is the first year it has been open to international participants and was renamed the World Forklift Championships as a consequence.

Given its huge popularity within the materials handling sector, it is likely to prove to be a firm favourite into the future.