November 1, 2025 • 9 mins
Kiwi axeman Jack Jordan made history last weekend.
He won the Stihl Timbersports World Championship individual event in Milan, Italy, for the first time - a departure from last year's second-place finish.
He joined Piney to discuss further.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Last weekend, the country's top ax men, Jack Jordan, won
the still Timber Sports World Championship Individual event for the
first time. He's just the third key we to win
the title, joining Jason Wynyard and David Bolstad. Having finished
a close second last year in the traditional long form
format across six different wood shopping and saw in disciplines,
(00:36):
Jack Jordan came out on top of the twelve strong
field in Milan, Italy last weekend. He's back home now
and joins us. Jack, Congratulations on your first win in
this very prestigious event. How long did it take to
sink in that you'd actually won and become a world champion.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Well, it was a bit of a strange feeling afterwards.
Sort of the event went through about three hours, and
I sort of spent them three hours staying pretty composed
and staying pretty relaxed. So afterwards I sort of felt
like I locked and come a cross pretty relaxed all so,
I think it's still sinking and sinking in now.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yeah, the competition involves six disciplines. Can you just take
us through each one and tell us what you have
to do for each Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
So we've got three chopping events and three sawing events.
We start off with the underhand chop, that's where we
cut the log that's between between our legs. Then we
do a stock saw stocks saw ray, so we cut
two discs with a six sixty one. Then it goes
(01:39):
to the standard lock chop where we cut the log
that's standing next to us. After that it goes the
points for each event changes after that. The single saw, well,
I suppose theyre handsaw sort of six foot or six
ft four long crosscut saws. Cut a wheel with that.
Then it's the springboard chop where we put two boards
(02:02):
into a tree, climb up and then cut the log
off at top, cut all the way through from one side,
and sort of slash it off backhanded. And then it
all comes down to the last event, the hot saw,
which is actually triple points. So yeah, well we use
a big two stroke chainsaws to cut three wheels in
the space of six inches.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
So the other six events and we sort of get
points for every event and at the end of the
day it comes down to who's the most points.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Throughout the day, I'm looking at some of the times
for these individual disciplines, and we're talking seconds here, Jack,
not minutes seconds. There's very little margin for era here,
isn't there?
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Yeah? For sure, Yeah, especially in some of those sawing events.
The most nervous I was on the night was for
that stocks or race where it's just standard points and
it's generally pretty easy for me, or it's like for
most people it's pretty easy, but when you're trying to
go as fast as you can, it's started playing on
(03:07):
your mind. But where you know, after you're a few
inch inch to one side, it's pretty easy to get
a disqualification which would ruin your night.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
So he was pretty nervous on the night for that one.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
And then we come to the sixth event, the hot Saw.
You were neck and neck pretty much with Australia and
branden Meyer right the way through. He said, a new
PB of six point four to eight seconds in the
hot Saw. You're the last guy to go, you step
up and you see your own personal best of six
point one six to snatch the title. How was that
moment or how was that sort of what were you
(03:40):
feeling before it? Throughout the six seconds and then afterwards.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
It's yeah, a bit strange really.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Like leading into the hot saw, I felt really confident,
which is quite a good way to be, I suppose.
But yeah, like I said, the most nervous I was
throughout the whole night was the stock saw race, and
that was the second event, And after I got that
out of the way, I felt pretty confident, you know.
I started picking up a few more points and I
(04:10):
managed to get on top of Braiden by a point
or a couple of points there. Leading into the hot saw,
I was pretty confident with the hot saw that if
needed be, I'd be able to cut between sort of
five and six seconds. But all I had to do
was beat Braiden in the hot saw, and he had
a little bubble. I don't know if you've seen it,
he had a little bubble with his first cut, So
(04:31):
that sort of allowed me to, yeah, just give me
a bit more time on that second or third third
cut to line them up properly and make sure of it.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Yeah, you were.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Second last year, Jack, How much did that second place
finish and narrow second place finished last year drive you
in the twelve months leading up to this year's event.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
It's the feeling and coming home being beaten. You know,
you put all that hard work and training into it,
and you gave it there. If you come up short
that travel home so you're flying I don't know what
it is, twenty four to twenty five hours homes. It's
the feeling of disappointment all the way home. I suppose
that's what drove me this year. And yeah, the training,
(05:14):
it's I guess that's what pushed me harder.
Speaker 4 (05:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Was it the hot saw last year? Did you have
a bobble or a little little incident on the hot
sal last year?
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, yeah, it was it was I could have won
it with the hot Sal last year, but I come
and Sibe would just so I had to go back
for a four fourth disc.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
So yeah, with that happening.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Last year, I sort of put a fair bit into
it into that one event this Yeah, just to make sure.
And I guess that's why I felt reasonably confident when
it comes down to it that.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
All I had to do was you know, deep braiden
And yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
When you've got six disciplines to focus on in terms
of preparing for an event like this, how do you
divide your time? Do you try and get better on
your strong events, or do you try and better your
times on the ones that perhaps are your weaker disciplines.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Yeah, it's funny say that my strongest two events of
the underhand and standing block, and going into this event,
I sort of I put those to the side, And
I wouldn't say I didn't train them, but I certainly
didn't train them anywhere near as hard, and quite often
I might only cut one of them each night instead
(06:25):
of doing multiple. I put everything into the other events,
which was especially three events which were me weaker events,
and as it turned out on the night, they were
me strongest three events.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
So yeah, funny how it works.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
But yeah, I guess that's.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
What feels so good when you win. You know those
events paid off. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Do you get nervous, Yeah, for sure, you get nervous,
Like I stayed before that stocks LL race. I don't
think I've ever been so nervous before an event. I
think I trained that event so much. I probably overtrained
a little bit and I started, yeah, started losing a
bit of confidence and started putting the saw in the
(07:09):
wrong place, and I was just so scared of getting
the dqu But yeah, I come out lucky enough and
manage to win that event. So yeah, yeah, getting that
one done and getting the winning that event, it was
a huge relief and sort of setting me up for
the rest of the night.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Yeah, over three thousand fans packed into watch. What was
the atmosphere like?
Speaker 4 (07:28):
Yeah? Pretty good.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
I'm pretty good at blocking that out, so I hardly
hear the noise, and all I sort of see when
I'm up on stage is all the lights sort of
flickering here and there, all the different lights I've got going.
So yeah, it's pretty good atmosphere, but I probably don't
take it in to the same extent as what other
people do. I try and sort of block it out
and focus on what I'm doing here.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
So now you're defending champion, Will you go back to
defend next year?
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Well, we've got to qualify for it at the real game,
so only one person from each country gets to compete
in that event. So yeah, throughout our season, I guess
everything sort of is that one day and hopefully I
can go good enough to qualify again and get back there.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
So when when is that day?
Speaker 3 (08:15):
I think it's the second weekend of March. I could
be wrong, but yeah, it's in March sometime yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
All right. So so just so the wood chopping season
is that is that? Is it summer a summer sport
here in New Zealand.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
So everyone else is sort of coming to the end
of the season, whereas our season hasn't started over here,
so it's a little bit different for us with sort
of we've had a breakover wind or had a bit
of a break and we you know, we've got to
start training. Yeah, training from scratch, which is probably a
little bit different to other people, but that's where we've
(08:49):
going to train so hard at home, I guess.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
And do you still have a deep motivation for this, Jack?
I mean, you know, obviously you had that had I
guess you call it a rock under the beach towel
of having finished second last time you've won it. Now,
do you still feel as though you'll have motivation to,
you know, to continue to strive for improvement and for excellence.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Yeah, for sure. Moving forward to next year, I'd want
to win it just as much as what it did
leading up to this year. So I don't think anything
would change to me there.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Wonderful Well, congratulations Jack. Amazing news over Labor weekend back
here that you had become a world champion. Thanks for
joining us this afternoon, mate and telling us all about it.
We'll look forward to seeing how the summer plays out
for you.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Hi, Thank you very much, really appreciate it now I.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Appreciate you joining us. Jack. Thanks indeed, Jack Jordan, our
top axmen still timber Sports world champion in the individual
event last weekend for the first time the six different
wood chopping and soaring disciplines and a winner, Jack Jordan,
ahead of eleven others in Milan, Italy, last weekend.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk said Be weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Last weekend, the country's top ax men, Jack Jordan, won
the still Timber Sports World Championship Individual event for the
first time. He's just the third key we to win
the title, joining Jason Wynyard and David Bolstad. Having finished
a close second last year in the traditional long form
format across six different wood shopping and saw in disciplines,
(00:36):
Jack Jordan came out on top of the twelve strong
field in Milan, Italy last weekend. He's back home now
and joins us. Jack, Congratulations on your first win in
this very prestigious event. How long did it take to
sink in that you'd actually won and become a world champion.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Well, it was a bit of a strange feeling afterwards.
Sort of the event went through about three hours, and
I sort of spent them three hours staying pretty composed
and staying pretty relaxed. So afterwards I sort of felt
like I locked and come a cross pretty relaxed all so,
I think it's still sinking and sinking in now.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yeah, the competition involves six disciplines. Can you just take
us through each one and tell us what you have
to do for each Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
So we've got three chopping events and three sawing events.
We start off with the underhand chop, that's where we
cut the log that's between between our legs. Then we
do a stock saw stocks saw ray, so we cut
two discs with a six sixty one. Then it goes
(01:39):
to the standard lock chop where we cut the log
that's standing next to us. After that it goes the
points for each event changes after that. The single saw, well,
I suppose theyre handsaw sort of six foot or six
ft four long crosscut saws. Cut a wheel with that.
Then it's the springboard chop where we put two boards
(02:02):
into a tree, climb up and then cut the log
off at top, cut all the way through from one side,
and sort of slash it off backhanded. And then it
all comes down to the last event, the hot saw,
which is actually triple points. So yeah, well we use
a big two stroke chainsaws to cut three wheels in
the space of six inches.
Speaker 4 (02:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
So the other six events and we sort of get
points for every event and at the end of the
day it comes down to who's the most points.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
Throughout the day, I'm looking at some of the times
for these individual disciplines, and we're talking seconds here, Jack,
not minutes seconds. There's very little margin for era here,
isn't there?
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Yeah? For sure, Yeah, especially in some of those sawing events.
The most nervous I was on the night was for
that stocks or race where it's just standard points and
it's generally pretty easy for me, or it's like for
most people it's pretty easy, but when you're trying to
go as fast as you can, it's started playing on
(03:07):
your mind. But where you know, after you're a few
inch inch to one side, it's pretty easy to get
a disqualification which would ruin your night.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
So he was pretty nervous on the night for that one.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
And then we come to the sixth event, the hot Saw.
You were neck and neck pretty much with Australia and
branden Meyer right the way through. He said, a new
PB of six point four to eight seconds in the
hot Saw. You're the last guy to go, you step
up and you see your own personal best of six
point one six to snatch the title. How was that
moment or how was that sort of what were you
(03:40):
feeling before it? Throughout the six seconds and then afterwards.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
It's yeah, a bit strange really.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Like leading into the hot saw, I felt really confident,
which is quite a good way to be, I suppose.
But yeah, like I said, the most nervous I was
throughout the whole night was the stock saw race, and
that was the second event, And after I got that
out of the way, I felt pretty confident, you know.
I started picking up a few more points and I
(04:10):
managed to get on top of Braiden by a point
or a couple of points there. Leading into the hot saw,
I was pretty confident with the hot saw that if
needed be, I'd be able to cut between sort of
five and six seconds. But all I had to do
was beat Braiden in the hot saw, and he had
a little bubble. I don't know if you've seen it,
he had a little bubble with his first cut, So
(04:31):
that sort of allowed me to, yeah, just give me
a bit more time on that second or third third
cut to line them up properly and make sure of it.
Speaker 4 (04:40):
Yeah, you were.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Second last year, Jack, How much did that second place
finish and narrow second place finished last year drive you
in the twelve months leading up to this year's event.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
It's the feeling and coming home being beaten. You know,
you put all that hard work and training into it,
and you gave it there. If you come up short
that travel home so you're flying I don't know what
it is, twenty four to twenty five hours homes. It's
the feeling of disappointment all the way home. I suppose
that's what drove me this year. And yeah, the training,
(05:14):
it's I guess that's what pushed me harder.
Speaker 4 (05:16):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Was it the hot saw last year? Did you have
a bobble or a little little incident on the hot
sal last year?
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, yeah, it was it was I could have won
it with the hot Sal last year, but I come
and Sibe would just so I had to go back
for a four fourth disc.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
So yeah, with that happening.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Last year, I sort of put a fair bit into
it into that one event this Yeah, just to make sure.
And I guess that's why I felt reasonably confident when
it comes down to it that.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
All I had to do was you know, deep braiden
And yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
When you've got six disciplines to focus on in terms
of preparing for an event like this, how do you
divide your time? Do you try and get better on
your strong events, or do you try and better your
times on the ones that perhaps are your weaker disciplines.
Speaker 3 (06:05):
Yeah, it's funny say that my strongest two events of
the underhand and standing block, and going into this event,
I sort of I put those to the side, And
I wouldn't say I didn't train them, but I certainly
didn't train them anywhere near as hard, and quite often
I might only cut one of them each night instead
(06:25):
of doing multiple. I put everything into the other events,
which was especially three events which were me weaker events,
and as it turned out on the night, they were
me strongest three events.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
So yeah, funny how it works.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
But yeah, I guess that's.
Speaker 4 (06:43):
What feels so good when you win. You know those
events paid off. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Do you get nervous, Yeah, for sure, you get nervous,
Like I stayed before that stocks LL race. I don't
think I've ever been so nervous before an event. I
think I trained that event so much. I probably overtrained
a little bit and I started, yeah, started losing a
bit of confidence and started putting the saw in the
(07:09):
wrong place, and I was just so scared of getting
the dqu But yeah, I come out lucky enough and
manage to win that event. So yeah, yeah, getting that
one done and getting the winning that event, it was
a huge relief and sort of setting me up for
the rest of the night.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
Yeah, over three thousand fans packed into watch. What was
the atmosphere like?
Speaker 4 (07:28):
Yeah? Pretty good.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
I'm pretty good at blocking that out, so I hardly
hear the noise, and all I sort of see when
I'm up on stage is all the lights sort of
flickering here and there, all the different lights I've got going.
So yeah, it's pretty good atmosphere, but I probably don't
take it in to the same extent as what other
people do. I try and sort of block it out
and focus on what I'm doing here.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
So now you're defending champion, Will you go back to
defend next year?
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Well, we've got to qualify for it at the real game,
so only one person from each country gets to compete
in that event. So yeah, throughout our season, I guess
everything sort of is that one day and hopefully I
can go good enough to qualify again and get back there.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
So when when is that day?
Speaker 3 (08:15):
I think it's the second weekend of March. I could
be wrong, but yeah, it's in March sometime yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
All right. So so just so the wood chopping season
is that is that? Is it summer a summer sport
here in New Zealand.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
So everyone else is sort of coming to the end
of the season, whereas our season hasn't started over here,
so it's a little bit different for us with sort
of we've had a breakover wind or had a bit
of a break and we you know, we've got to
start training. Yeah, training from scratch, which is probably a
little bit different to other people, but that's where we've
(08:49):
going to train so hard at home, I guess.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
And do you still have a deep motivation for this, Jack?
I mean, you know, obviously you had that had I
guess you call it a rock under the beach towel
of having finished second last time you've won it. Now,
do you still feel as though you'll have motivation to,
you know, to continue to strive for improvement and for excellence.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Yeah, for sure. Moving forward to next year, I'd want
to win it just as much as what it did
leading up to this year. So I don't think anything
would change to me there.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Wonderful Well, congratulations Jack. Amazing news over Labor weekend back
here that you had become a world champion. Thanks for
joining us this afternoon, mate and telling us all about it.
We'll look forward to seeing how the summer plays out
for you.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Hi, Thank you very much, really appreciate it now I.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Appreciate you joining us. Jack. Thanks indeed, Jack Jordan, our
top axmen still timber Sports world champion in the individual
event last weekend for the first time the six different
wood chopping and soaring disciplines and a winner, Jack Jordan,
ahead of eleven others in Milan, Italy, last weekend.
Speaker 1 (09:52):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk said Be weekends from midday, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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