With his dad EJ bowing out of the rest of the competition for business reasons, and the Czech Republic’s Jakub Nemec and Canada’s Ben Marr sitting out due to shoulder injuries (Nemec dislocated his shoulder on high water Minibus in a surf kayak on an ‘off-day’), reigning two-time Grand Prix champ Dane Jackson is carrying the Jackson flag high, sitting in the catbird’s seat halfway through the Whitewater Grand Prix, arguably whitewater kayaking’s biggest prize.
With three of the six events now completed, including the Big Trick, BoaterCross and Time Trial, Dane reclaimed his first-place overall standing after finishing third in the Boatercross event on Quebec’s big-ass Rouge River, just behind second-place finisher (and local paddler) Joel Kowalski and first-pace Boatercross finisher Marcos Gallegos from Chile, coupled with his win in the Big Trick event. He then kept it with a win in Sunday’s Stage Three Time Trials as the series moved northeast to Quebec’s Shawinigan River.
For the women, Martina Wegman of the Netherlands is sitting in first-place currently, barely ahead of Norway’s Mariann Saether, with wins in the Time Trial event and BoaterCross. Great Britain’s Sandra Hyslop took second in the women’s Boatercross behind Wegman, with Saether in third.
And for those wondering, so far only one swim has been registered at the 2014 Whitewater Grand Prix. That honor goes to local hero Joel Kowalski, who swam over the weekend from a huge hydraulic on a seldom run section of the Rouge River upstream of the event’s Boatercross section. Bootie beer, here he comes…
Women’s Big Trick Results:
1. Mariann Saether
2. Adrienne Levknecht
3. Nichole Mansfield
4. Martina Wegman
5. Sandra Hyslop
Men’s Big Trick Results:
1. Nick Troutman
2. Dane Jackson
3. Tino Spret
4. Devin Scott
Women’s BoaterCross Results:
1st Place: Martina Wegman (NLD)
2nd Place: Sandra Hyslop (GBR)
3rd Place: Mariann Saether (NOR)
4th Place: Nicole Mansfield (USA)
5th Place: Lu Urwin (NZL)
Men’s BoaterCross Results:
1st Place: Marcos Gallegos (CHL)
2nd Place: Joel Kowalski (CAN)
3rd Place: Dane Jackson (USA)
4th Place: Rush Sturges (USA)
Women’s Time Trial Results:
1st Place: Martina Wegman (NLD)
2nd Place(tie): Adriene Levknecht (USA) // Mariann Saether (NOR)
4th Place: Sandra Hyslop (GBR)
5th Place: Nicole Mansfield (USA)
Men’s Time Trial Results:
1st Place: Dane Jackson (USA)
2nd Place: Chris Gragtmans (CAN)
3rd Place: Tino Specht (USA)
4th Place: Gerd Serrasolses (ESP)
5th Place: Tyler Curtis (CAN)
Women’s Overall Standings after Three Stages
1. Martina Wegman (NLD) [18pts]
2. Mariann Saether (NOR) [17.5pts]
3. Sandra Hyslop (GBR) [13pts]
4. Adriene Levknecht (USA) [12.5pts]
5. Nicole Mansfield (USA) [12pts]
6. Lu Urwin (NZL) [6pts]
7. Hannah Kertesz (USA) [5pts]
Men’s Overall Standings after Three Stages
1. Dane Jackson (USA) [81pts]
2. Tino Specht (USA) [75pts]
3. Rush Sturges (USA) [68pts]
4. Joel Kowalski (CAN) [66pts]
5. Gerd Serrasolses (ESP) [62pts]
