New Zealand’s Jack Jordan won his first STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Individual World Championship in the most dramatic of circumstances, setting a personal best in the Hot Saw to snatch the title from Australia’s Brayden Meyer with the final cut of the night. A crowd of more than 3,000 fans created an unbelievable atmosphere inside the Allianz Cloud Arena in Milan, with Szymon Groenwald taking third place to add to the bronze medal he won with Poland in the Team competition last night.
After Australia set tongues wagging by winning a record 10th Team world title the previous evening, all eyes turned to the Individual event and whether Brayden Meyer could make it a golden double for the Aussies. Standing in his way were 11 of the world’s best logger sportsmen, ready to face each other across all six of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® disciplines: Underhand Chop, Stock Saw, Standing Block Chop, Single Buck, Springboard and Hot Saw.
Jordan serves up epic win in compelling head-to-head battle with Meyer
The competition did not disappoint, as Meyer found himself locked in an intense battle with Kiwi rival Jack Jordan. The two athletes both finished in the top three positions in all six disciplines, with neither wishing to give the other an inch.
Jordan opened up the slimmest of margins going into the final round, after setting a new Oceanian record of 11.28 seconds in the Single Buck – with Meyer himself setting a personal best of 11.55 seconds – and a PB in the Springboard of 38.96 seconds, with Meyer again finishing just behind him in a pair of compelling heats.
With Jordan sitting just one point ahead of Meyer going into the blockbuster Hot Saw round, the excitement in the sold-out arena was palpable. Meyer piled the pressure on his rival, setting a new personal best of 6.48 seconds to assume the ‘Hot Seat’ with only Jordan left to step up. The Kiwi duly delivered, setting his own personal best of 6.16 seconds to gain the 15 points he needed to snatch the title from Meyer with the last cut of the night. Jordan finished the competition on 79 points, Meyer on 75.
Groenwald completes stellar weekend for Poland with first podium finish
Szymon Groenwald secured his first podium finish in the Individual World Championship, as he became locked in a personal battle for bronze with Sweden’s Emil Hansson. That battle came to a head in the fifth round Springboard, with the two challengers placed in the same heat and separated by just 0.18 seconds. Groenwald edged it in 44.65 seconds to Hansson’s 44.83 seconds – with both athletes setting national records in the process.
Groenwald, whose competition got off to the perfect start with an opening round PB in the Underhand Chop, sealed third place with a Hot Saw time of 7.04 and an overall points tally of 54. It marked a fantastic weekend for Poland, who finished third in the Team competition the night before – just the second time in their history they have made a world podium.
Hansson, who earlier notched another national record in the Standing Block Chop, had to settle for fourth place after a final round score of 8.70 seconds, tied on 52 points with Canada’s Marcel Dupuis.
Europeans enjoy wild support, while Hodges’ title defence ends in disappointment
The European nations enjoyed a strong outing in the Team competition and that energy carried over into the Individual competition, as the Milan crowd whipped up a frenzy. Home favourite Michel Perrin and France’s Pierre Puybaret in particular drew strong support, although it was not enough to help them beyond the first set of eliminations at the end of round three. Germany’s Danny Martin and Netherlands’ Redmer Knol fell at the same stage, with Belgium’s Koen Martens and Czechia’s Matyáš Klíma eliminated after the fifth round.
Meanwhile, USA’s defending champion, Nate Hodges, saw his title defence ultimately end in disappointment, with disqualification in the Hot Saw for failing to cut within the marked line leaving him in sixth place in the overall standings.
2025 Individual World Champion Jack Jordan commented: "I truly can’t believe it. I’m really grateful to everyone who has helped me out along the way, I couldn’t have done it without them.
"It was tough all day, it was a dogfight all day, but I knew it was going to be. Leading up to this, I didn’t train too much on my stronger events and focused on my weaker events – and they’re the events I won today. I’m really happy that all the training paid off and that I’ve come away with the gold.
"He [New Zealand’s nine-time Individual World Champion, Jason Wynyard] was one of the best to do it, so to come over here and win one is pretty cool."
Australia’s Brayden Meyer, who finished as runner-up, said: “It could’ve gone a bit better but that’s the way it is. I’ll go back to the drawing board and try and go harder for next year.
“It was a great event, a great crowd and a great competition.”
Poland’s Szymon Groenwald, who won the bronze medal, added: “I’m very happy, it was a good competition for me. This World Championships is very happy for Team Poland, we’ve been very good and we are very happy with two podiums.”
