A hairdresser from Mława, central Poland, proved unmatched at cutting men’s hair, winning gold and bronze medals at the Open European Championships.

When she grabs scissors, comb, hairspray, brushes and dryers, her rivals’ hair stands on end whereas the hair of her subjects transforms into the dashiest of hairstyles. Now, the freshly-out-of-the-fray champion Katarzyna Jarzębska admits that the competition was fierce, saying: “Despite the fact that I have worked a very long time and very hard for this title, I’m very surprised that I have become champion.”

Although held online with all the competitors working on mannequins, the competition still demanded a show of precision and experience. And both of these traits were appraised in Ms Jarzębska by the jury. She, however, stresses that she could not have dreamt of the medal, had it not been for her trainer Andrzej Matracki.

Mr Matracki, being a four-time world champion in haircutting, says that “she has spent the last two years preparing meticulously to achieve success.”

But this is not the time for Ms Jarzębska’s zeal to be extinguished. “Such nuances that are reflected in men’s haircuts encouraged me to work even harder,” she confesses.