Evolution of the farthest distance axe throw as US man reclaims hotly contested record

The farthest distance axe throw has become one of our most hotly contested record titles, changing hands frequently and sparking quite a bit of healthy competition.

Jesse Rood (USA) has just reclaimed the title with an incredible distance of 67 m (219 ft 8.16 in).

That’s further than the length of a Concorde airliner (61.2 m; 200 ft) and the height of the Tower of Pisa (55 m; 180 ft).

One has to wonder how much further anyone could possibly take this record.

Jesse during one of his attempts

If you’ve ever been to one of those axe throwing places, you’ll know how difficult it is to even stick the axe into the target… never mind doing it from so far away.

Jesse was the first person to claim this record back in 2022, with a distance of 27.20 m (89 ft 2 in), meaning he’s more than doubled the distance he can throw an axe in just a few years.

In 2023, Simone Freddi (Italy) took the record with a distance of 40.10 m (131.56 ft), then in 2024, William Hulme Jr. (USA) claimed it with a throw from 54.864 m (180 ft) away.

Jesse came back later that year, taking the title once more with a distance of 43.58 m (143 ft).

Find more stories like this in our Hobbies and Skills section.

Still in 2024, Jesse lost the title to Osman Gürcü (Türkiye), who stuck an axe into a target from 56 m (183 ft 8.72 in) away.

And now, Jesse has the record back in his hands once again.

He previously told us: “My favourite thing about axe throwing is getting outside in the fresh air and doing a very repeatable action, I can make small adjustments and tweak it until I finally stick the axe.

“Nothing feels better than finally sticking the axe from a pretty far distance.”

The axe in the target in Jesse’s latest record attempt

Jesse says that he loves the fact his record has been beaten so many times, because he loves pushing himself to get better and take it back.

“I hope someone else challenges me in the future so I can continue to push myself when it comes to distance for axe throwing,” he said.

Do you think you could do better?