Northland nine-times world woodchopping champion Jason Wynyard won last weekend's New Zealand Stihl Timbersports National Championships.
Northland nine-times world woodchopping champion Jason Wynyard won last weekend's New Zealand Stihl Timbersports National Championships.
Northland nine-times world woodchopping champion Jason Wynyard is on the comeback trail after an injury kept him away from the sport for more than three years.
So it was an emotional Wynyard who cut his first step towards claiming a 10th world title by winning the 2022 New Zealand StihlTimbersports National Championships last weekend in Auckland.
Saturday's victory means Wynyard has earned the right to represent New Zealand at the world championships in Sweden in October – a tournament he last won five years ago.
Since 2017, he has battled debilitating arthritis in his hip, but after almost three years' break from fulltime competition - involving stem cell treatment and a hip replacement - the nine-times 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," said Wynyard, who was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) in the 2017 Queen's New Year's Honours.
An emotional Wynyard dedicated his victory to fellow international competitor Martin Komarek of the Czech Republic who was well known to the New Zealand Timbersport community having competed here, who died tragically in a forestry workplace accident overseas last week.
The New Zealand National Championships at Kumeu, West Auckland, was contested across three divisions- men, women and rookies.
Stihl New Zealand marketing manager Stace Hall said it was a wonderful achievement to hold this year's national championship under challenging circumstances.
"Stihl is delighted to have been able to deliver this year's competition, to allow these incredible athletes to show off their skill and commitment to the sport.
"Jason Wynyard is a wonderful ambassador for Stihl and for the sport in general. We wish him all the best for his tilt at a 10th Stihl Timbersports world title later this year," Hall said.
Northland's Jason Wynyard is on the comeback trail for a 10th title after a three-year injury-enforced break from the sport.
The overall division winners earning the most accumulated points across their combined woodchopping and sawing disciplines were as follows:
• Wynyard has won the individual world championship nine times.
• Wynyard has also won the New Zealand National Championships 15 times: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2022.
• Received the Order of Merit for services to the sport of woodchopping in 2017
