Vail – It was a day of firsts and darn close to firsts Saturday at the Teva Mountain Games in Vail. Competition in nearly every sport – from bouldering to cycling and kayaking – came down to the wire during the five-day event’s biggest day, offering the crowd an equally large dose of anticipation and suspense.
Saturday’s marquee event, the kayak pro rodeo finals in Vail’s Gore Creek Whitewater Park, capped the day with a thrilling men’s freestyle competition pitting Jackson Kayaks teammates Jay Kincaid, Steven Wright and Eric Jackson against one another in a two-round throwdown featuring some of the sport’s most progressive moves. After setting the bar at 129 points in his first one-minute ride, Jackson lost his lead in the second round when Wright posted a 132.
“They made a mistake adding up the score at first after Steven’s second ride, and it looked like I had already won,” said Jackson, 42, of Rock Island, Tenn. “Then they re-added and I found out I was three points behind when I was just about to go, so all of the sudden it was game on. But that’s my favorite way to compete.”
In the end, the three-time freestyle world champion and Jackson Kayaks namesake rallied to defend his 2005 Teva Games title with a top score of 143 on the day’s final ride. Wright finished second and former world champion Kincaid was third with 80.
“To have the whole team perform so well was pretty huge,” Jackson said. “They all deserve dinner tonight, for sure. They rocked it.”
The Jackson family dynasty continued through the women’s ranks as well, where 16-year-old Emily Jackson also defended her 2005 Teva Games title by besting New Zealander Nikki Kelly by a three-point margin, 59 to 56. Jackson’s teammate, Devon Barker, was third.
“I’m a little lighter and I have a smaller boat, and I think that’s my advantage getting it up out of the water and doing loops (aerial front flips off the wave),” Emily Jackson said. “And I have an awesome coach – my dad.”
Close competition proved the theme throughout the day, with the bouldering contest coming down to a tiebreaker in the men’s division. After climbers Daniel Woods and Paul Robinson posted identical scores of 4,200 points through four rounds of competition on the artificial rock wall, judges designed a demanding new course to decide the winner. Woods managed to reach the high mark on the overhanging wall as Robinson fell into second place. Nicholas Sherman was third with a score of 3,725.5.
Alex Puccio took top honors in the women’s bouldering contest with a score of 4,107.5, followed by Angela Payne (3,778.5) and Portia Menlove (3,403.5).
In cycling competition, Durango legend Ned Overend, 50, eked out a 10-second victory over Steffano Barberi in the 9-mile hill climb up Vail Pass. Overend was able to sustain a continuous effort up the 3,000-vertical-foot course that once tested the likes of Tour de France champion Greg Le- Mond to win the time trial in 27 minutes, 58 seconds in his first attempt. Corey Collier finished third in 28:30.
Jennifer Smith won the women’s division in 33:44 for the day’s most decisive victory, with a one-minute, 50-second margin over Georgia Gould. Jill Walker was third in 36:12.
Jeff Lenosky defeated Kirt Voreis in the finals to claim the inaugural prize in the Freeride Mountain Bike Challenge.
Cam McCaul placed third by beating Kyle Ebbett to the finish in the head-to-head competition.
In Super Stats: Results. 23B
Scott Willoughby can be reached at 303-820-1993 or swilloughby@denverpost.com.
