Jordan off to defend his crown

King Country axeman Jack Jordan is hoping his hours of swinging an axe in preparation will pay off this weekend.

New Zealand’s top axeman is off to defend his world title alongside New Zealand’s top axe-woman, who’s making history for the sport.

Jack Jordan and Anne Paterson are the backbone of the New Zealand team heading off to Europe for this weekend’s STIHL Timbersports World Trophy in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

It’ll be familiar territory for Jordan, who won the event for the first time last year against a top international field, but it’s all new for Paterson, who will become the first axe-woman to represent Aotearoa on the world stage.  

Jordan has had a big season in New Zealand, winning many of the events he competed in, while victory at the Rural Games in Palmerston North earlier in the year sealed his spot to the Netherlands.

The King Country farmer snuck up on a stacked international field with his victory at last year’s event held in Austria and said he would have a target on his back this time around.

“It’ll be interesting for sure returning to Europe as the defending champion, but I intend to use that to my advantage and back myself with my fitness and technique and go back-to-back with the World Trophy title.”  

The world championship event will be one Jordan, of Taumarunui, hopes goes smoothly as he sets out to defend his title from 2022, where he defeated former world champion Jason Lentz of Austria in the final, a result which caught many by surprise.

Following that event, Jordan said the next year was going to be big as he was aiming to compete as much as possible.

Jordan is experienced in wood chopping circles and has two national titles to go with his world title and world team championship crown he won in 2017.

The STIHL Timbersports World Trophy format is like the 20/20 cricket of international wood chopping.  It’s a quick fire – designed for television – event with four disciplines back-to-back (no rest in between) suited to competitors with superior fitness and endurance as they make their way through knockout stages to the final showdown.  

In the lead-up to the world championships, Jordan has attended events in Sydney and other parts of Australia to prepare.

Twenty-seven-year-old Jordan said his training hadn’t changed a lot from last year.

“No, I don’t think so. I think you know once you have won you probably have a good understanding to know how to win it again. I think it helps you.

“You watch the top guys and see what they do and maybe pick up wee things from there but mainly just hope it goes well on the day.”

Everyone in New Zealand wood chopping circles will be cheering for Jordan and hoping he can make it a second successive world crown to help continue to put the sport on the map.