Long-legged bird with no tail makes champion (4)
I believe the answer is:
hero
'champion' is the definition.
('hero' can be a synonym of 'champion')
'long-legged bird with no tail' is the wordplay.
'long-legged bird' becomes 'heron' (I've seen this before).
'with no tail' means to remove the last letter.
'heron' with its final letter removed is 'HERO'.
'makes' is the link.
(Other definitions for hero that I've seen before include "Man admired for courage and achievement" , "Man of valour" , "Person distinguished by exceptional courage" , "Leander's suitor" , "priestess of Aphrodite" .)