VAIL — Kiwi kayaker Mike Dawson dethroned four-time Teva Mountain Games Steep Creek Championship winner Tao Berman in Thursday’s kickoff kayak event on Homestake Creek near Red Cliff. Dawson’s combined time of 3 minutes, 41.63 seconds in the two-lap race was just more than a second faster than Berman (3:42.67), of Hood River, Ore. Pat Keller of Asheville, N.C., finished a close third in 3:44.49.
Nikki Kelly completed the Kiwi sweep with her record-tying fourth win (Berman) in the women’s division, narrowly defeating Tanya Faux of Australia. Adriene Levknecht of Flat Rock, N.C., was third.
Kayak qualifying.
Emily Jackson of Rock Island, Tenn., made a statement among competitors in the women’s freestyle qualifying competition, posting a top score of 1,120 points at the Vail Whitewater Park on Gore Creek. The next closest qualifier, Ruth Gordon of Canada, scored 380. Nicole Mansfield of Buena Vista qualified third.
“I wish it was closer,” Jackson said. “Their scores are going to have to come up though, because mine aren’t coming down.”
Dustin Urban set the high mark of the day at 1,795 points in qualifying competition in the kayak freestyle, followed by Canadian Nick Troutman (1,690) and Greg Parker of Salida (1,575).
Finals begin at 4:15 p.m.
Climbing qualifying.
Colorado State University student Alex Johnson flashed all five routes in the women’s qualifier at the IFSC Bouldering World Cup competition in Vail on Thursday.
Johnson, 20, and defending champion at the TMG event that last year marked the first World Cup climbing competition in the U.S. in more than 20 years, was the lone climber to top out on every route in her first attempt, giving her the top qualifying score of 6,325 points.
She leads six American women who qualified for the 20-person semifinals beginning at 11 a.m. today. American Alex Puccio qualified fourth, followed by Elizabeth Asher (12), Tiffany Hensley (18), Chancenia Cox (19) and Lisa Rands.
Men’s and women’s finals get underway this afternoon at 3:45 p.m.
Scott Willoughby, The Denver Post
