New Zealand’s Mathew Gower won the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Rookie World Championship with a dominant display in which he bagged four National Records and one Personal Best in the five disciplines he contested. Australia’s Awatea Moore Barrett finished second, ahead of Belgium’s Kamiel Van Raemdonck in third, as the world’s top 12 rookie TIMBERSPORTS® athletes gathered in Budapest, competing for the Rookie World Championship title in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Budapest, who lit up the City Park with their roars and cheers throughout the competition, with an array of flag waving amidst the rainy weather.

What: STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Rookie World Championship

When: Friday 5th June 2026

Where: Városligeti Műjégpálya (City Park) Budapest, Hungary

Winner: Mathew Gower, New Zealand  (66 points)

Runners up:

2nd – Awatea Moore Barrett, Australia (59 points)

3rd – Kamiel Van Raemdonck, Germany (48 points)