Jason Wynyard

Jason Wynyard MNZM (14 November 1973 – 4 October 2023) was a New Zealand champion woodchopper from Kawakawa. He won over a hundred world titles in the sport.[2]

Jason Wynyard
MNZM
Wynyard in 2017
Personal information
Born(1973-11-14)14 November 1973
Te Awamutu, New Zealand
Died4 October 2023(2023-10-04) (aged 49)
Home townKawakawa, New Zealand
EducationWaitākere College
Height1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[1]
Weight134 kg (295 lb)[1]
RelativesTai Wynyard (son)
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
SportWoodchopping

Wynyard was born in Te Awamutu on 14 November 1973.[3][4] Of Māori ancestry, he affiliated to the Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāpuhi iwi.[2] He was educated at Waitākere College.

Wynyard at the Lumberjack World Championship in 2011

Wynyard won the individual world championship nine times.[5][6] He holds the world record for Single Buck (with assistant) with a time of 9.39 in 2007.[1]

Wynyard won the Stihl Timbersports Series 14 times. He won the title in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.

In the 2017 New Year Honours, Wynyard was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the sport of wood chopping.[7]

Wynyard was the father of former University of Kentucky men's basketball player Tai Wynyard.[8]

In May 2023, it was announced that Wynyard had been diagnosed with stage 4 Burkitt lymphoma,[9] and after undergoing aggressive treatment he was advised by doctors on 18 August that he had only weeks to live.[10] He died on 4 October 2023, at the age of 49.[11]

References
  1. "Records – STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Database". data.stihl-timbersports.com. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  2. Smith, Tony (12 February 2021). "Māori Sports Awards: Lisa Carrington judged most influential Māori sports star since 1991". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  3. "Te Awamutu's most famous recognised on Walk of Fame". Waikato Herald. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  4. Malcouronne, Peter (5 October 2023). "Remembering Jason Wynyard: Cuttin' for your country". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  5. Hutching, Gerard (7 November 2017). "Kiwi Jason Wynyard best in world at chopping, sawing timber". Stuff. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  6. "Jason WYNYARD – STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Database". data.stihl-timbersports.com. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  7. "New Year honours list 2017". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  8. Medcalf, Myron (1 February 2017). "'The Michael Jordan of lumberjacks' motivates his son, a Kentucky reserve". ESPN.com. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  9. "Kiwi wood chopping great Jason Wynyard diagnosed with aggressive form of cancer". Otago Daily Times. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  10. Chapman, Grant (19 September 2023). "Woodchopping legend Jason Wynyard given weeks to live, turns to alternative treatments in cancer battle". Newshub. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  11. "Kiwi wood-chopping great Jason Wynyard dies after battle with aggressive cancer". The New Zealand Herald. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.


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