In a packed Paris stadium filled with patriotic fervour and flags from 16 nations, a baying crowd joins the countdown to begin the competition. At the bell, each man in a team of six unsheathes his knife and seizes a carcass of beef, pork, chicken or lamb. It is "the Olympics of butchery", also known as the World Butchers' Challenge. "The atmosphere was electric this year, especially with the addition of the Belgian team," Australian competitor Tom Bouchier said. "They brought air raid sirens with them, the French had hundreds of apprentices there with horns blowing. "It was just exactly like a European soccer match." High-stakes showdown The contest unfolded over almost four unrelenting, sweat-inducing hours, during which meat was transformed into the finest of culinary creations. It was a slightly incongruous sight with brawny butchers producing exquisitely delicate, artistic meat dishes. She was one of the vocal supporters cheering the Australian senior and junior teams at the challenge in April. "The teams have three and a half hours to create as many beautiful, value-added, retail-ready products as they can, so it's quite incredible to see what the other nations come up with," Ms Bouchier said. Teams provided their own seasonings, spices, marinades and garnishes to finish products which had to be eye-catching, easily cooked, and suitable for retail. Melbourne gourmet butcher Troy Wheeler said his role in the team was to add value. "So I get given some different proteins, whether it be chicken, pork, beef, and lamb," he said. "And I turn those into a product that is appealing in a retail butchers' shop setting and cookable and relatable to what the consumer would be looking for." Precision, passion and presentation Independent judges scored each team based on technique, skill, workmanship, product innovation and the overall finish and presentation. Master butcher Peter Bouchier was in Paris to cheer on his son Tom. He said the competition was full-on. The latest World Butchers' Challenge was the biggest and best yet, a far cry from its humble beginnings in a paddock in 2011 when it was only between Australia and New Zealand. At the last world challenge held in the United States, the Australians were pipped into second by the German team, which was the favourite to win again this year. But it was the French home side that took the honours, with the Germans placed second and the Australians coming third. Third-generation butcher and challenge fan, Ashley Haynes, watched a live stream of the event from Finley in southern New South Wales, where he ran a retail butcher shop. "For our Aussie boys to go across there and finish third is just an amazing effort, to play away, an away game on their terms, using their equipment and their produce, yeah, just phenomenal," Mr Haynes said. "And what that does for the whole industry is reinvigorates all of us along the chain, I think it gives us all a little aspiration to maybe be a part of something like that and that should inspire everybody." Danielle Bouchier said it was an incredible event for the industry. "It's not really looked on to be a very glamorous industry, so anything that showcases the talent and the artistry that butchers put into their craft [is positive]," she said. Cyclone, cancellations and comeback The six butchers representing Australia hailed from various states, so practising as a team was not easy. On the eve of departure for Paris, final practice plans were blown away, quite literally by Tropical Cyclone Alfred. "It was going to be a bit of an open training session at a lamb expo that was up on the Gold Coast," Tom Bouchier said. The event was cancelled, robbing team members of a chance to put the final refinements on their routine. But their slicing skills and artistic flair did not suffer for it. Team member Brett Laws, a retail butcher from Miranda, a southern Sydney suburb, was named in the world all-star team. A similar honour was bestowed on Tom Bouchier. It was the sixth time Tom had represented his country in the competition. He hoped to be selected for a seventh. "Being able to wear the green and gold and carry the Australian flag brings a great deal of pride." Watch ABC TV's Landline at 12:30pm AEST on Sunday or stream anytime on ABC iview.