Rotorua man makes the cut

From left, Jason Wynard, Shane Jordan, Kyle Lemon and Adam Lowe are off to the Stihl Timbersports Series World Championships in Germany.

Lemon to compete in woodchopping.

Rotorua police officer Kyle Lemon will be upholding the strong arm of woodchopping lore when he competes in the world's premier woodchopping competition.

Mr Lemon, who is a constable working on the Rotorua police's frontline, has travelled to Germany for the Stihl Timbersports Series World Championships 2013.

It is his second world championships.

He joins Shane Jordan, Adam Lowe and five-time individual champion Jason Wynyard, as well as more than 100 other athletes from around the world. They will be watched by an estimated 10,000 fans at the Porsche-Arena in Stuttgart on October 25 and 26.

The first part of the championships is a relay competition.

Contending countries in teams of four will face-off in four categories - the Single Buck, Standing Chop, Stock Saw and Underhand Chop, to determine the best timbersports team in the world. Mr Lemon is competing in the stock chainsaw event in the relay. To determine the best individual, a competition will take place in a six-category event, made up of three sawing skills - Single Buck, Hot Saw and Stock Saw and three chopping skills; Standing Chop, Underhand Chop and Springboard Chop. The New Zealand team is tipped to be team favourite. "These men are highly trained and use immense strength to chop and saw their way to victory. We are proud to sponsor this fantastic event and wish the New Zealand team all the best in 2013," said Stihl New Zealand marketing manager Stace Hall.