Jason Wynard back on the podium in NZ Stihl Timbersports Championship

21 March 2022

Jason Wynyard has cut his first step towards claiming a 10th world title by winning the 2022 New Zealand Stihl Timbersports National Championships this weekend in Auckland. Source: Timberbiz

The victory means Mr Wynyard has earned the right to represent New Zealand at the Stihl Timbersports World Championships in Sweden in October – a tournament he last won five years ago.

Since 2017 Mr Wynyard has battled debilitating arthritis in his hip, but now following nearly three years break from full time competition, involving stem cell treatment and a hip replacement, the nine-times Stihl Timbersports world champion is on the comeback at the age of 48.

“I had this goal to try and qualify for the World Champs for some time now since hip replacement and stem cell treatment and it’s pretty cool to take that next step and qualify, but I realise that there’s a lot of work ahead of me,” Mr Wynyard said.

An emotional Mr Wynyard dedicated his victory to fellow international competitor, Martin Komarek of the Czech Republic, who was very well known to the New Zealand Timbersport community having competed here, who died tragically in a forestry workplace accident overseas this week.

The New Zealand Stihl Timbersports National Championships at Kumeu, West Auckland was contested across three divisions Mens, Womens and Rookies.

Stace Hall, Marketing Manager for Stihl New Zealand says it was a wonderful achievement to hold this year’s national championship under challenging circumstances.

Mr Wynyard MNZM has won more than a hundred world titles in the sport and has won the individual Stihl Timbersports World Championship nine times. He has also won the New Zealand National Championships 15 times and received the Order of Merit for services to the sport of wood chopping in 2017.