Christmas present used to win Riverton woodchopping event

Tuesday, 1 January 2019

The axe Brad Pako used to win at the Riverton round of the southern woodchopping and sawing circuit was a Christmas present.

His partner Alex Svejkar​ bought the Tuatahi axe from the manufacturer in Masterton, but she was not on hand to watch Pako win Sunday's Bernie Corbin Memorial Underhand Championship.

Svejkar was in Sydney visiting members of her family.   

Pako competed on four of the circuit's six days with his other results being two wins at Cromwell, placings at Gore and two wins at Otautau. The circuit's last two day were at Tuatapere on Tuesday and Colac Bay on Monday.

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Throughout the Riverton competition, Pako was troubled with tennis elbow, a condition caused by repetitive wrist and arm motions. His elbow was taped up going into the championship's final chop.

'It was my last chop [for the day] and I was going to go out with a bang,' Pako, of Cromwell, said.

'I gave it everything I had.'

Pako is the first to win the championship three times.

He said the elbow injury stemmed from many years of lifting heavy weights.

'Another couple of weeks it should be all right.'

About 10 overseas axemen competed on the circuit, including competitors from Switzerland, Florida, Wales and Australia. 

Pako, who is a loader driver at a Central Otago quarry, has been in a few New Zealand under-21 axemens' teams that competed against Australia.

'I've won a number of South Island titles and a lot of championships in Australia and New Zealand.'

The bulk of New Zealand's woodchopping and sawing events are held from September to April.