Timbersports: Jordan chops his way into history with fourth-straight title

A former Taranaki rugby player has further cemented his place among the sport's greats after claiming a fourth consecutive Stihl Timbersports World Trophy title in Hungary.

Stratford-born Jack Jordan produced a dominant display in Budapest over the weekend, setting a new world record on his way to winning one of the sport's most prestigious events.

Jordan, who now lives in Taumarunui, was already the reigning world champion after winning the individual world title in Milan last year and is also a five-time New Zealand champion.

Competing against the world's best athletes in the knockout-format event, Jordan steadily built momentum throughout the competition before producing his fastest time of 53.22 seconds in the quarter-finals.

He then defeated American Matthew Cogar in the final to secure a historic fourth straight World Trophy crown. Australian Kody Steers finished third.

The World Trophy sees athletes race head-to-head through a series of chopping and sawing disciplines, with the fastest overall time progressing to the next round.

Jordan said the victory was particularly satisfying given the sacrifices required to compete on the world stage.

"I feel great, it's great to be able to come over here and succeed," he said.

"It's been tough going. All the training you put in at home, you sometimes wonder what it's for when you have no competition. To get over here and put on a performance like that, I'm extremely happy about it."

"There was a lot of pressure in that final, so I had to try and put on my best performance. To come away with the win is great."

Jordan was not the only New Zealander celebrating success in Budapest.

Fellow New Zealander Mathew Gower won the Rookie World Championship, which showcases the sport's leading emerging athletes.

Gower topped a field of 12 competitors, finishing ahead of Australia's Awatea Moore Barrett and Belgium's Kamiel Van Raemdonck after recording a combined time of 1 minute 32.37 seconds across the five disciplines.