Johnson repeats at US Team Trials
// usack // April 28, 2006
Carrie Johnson (San Diego, Calif.) won her third consecutive title in the K-1 500 meters Friday at the US Team Trials in Chula Vista, Calif. Johnson first won the event in 2004, qualifying her for the Athens Olympic Games. Since then she has steadily improved, and her time Friday was five seconds faster than her final time at the 2005 US Team Trials.
“I had a really good race,” said Johnson. “I’m really excited to be able to compete internationally again and hopefully improve on last year.”
Finishing second to Johnson in the K-1 500 meters was Morgan Feori (San Diego, Calif.). Feori paddled exceptionally well, narrowly edging Lauren Bartlett (Kula, Maui, Hawaii) in the final meters of the race.
Shrouded in the mist and overcast skies over the Otay Reservoir at the US Olympic Training Center, over fifty of the best flatwater sprint paddlers in the United States raced for spots on the Senior and Junior US Teams. The competition was fierce, with several of the races being settled over the final meters of the course. Well over a hundred spectators came out from all over the United States to watch the competition.
In the men’s K-1 500 meters, Rami Zur (Newport Beach, Calif.) also defended his title, narrowly edging a charging Jeff Smoke (Buchanan, Mich.) and Morgan House (Gainesville, Ga.), who finished second and third. Smoke and House both appeared to be catching Zur as the end of the race, and the finish was the closest of the day.
In the men’s C-1 500 meters, perennial favorite Jordan Malloch (Seattle, Wash.) dominated the race again, winning by a full twelve seconds over second place Robert Finlayson (Gainesville, Ga.). Barely behind Finlayson was Sam d’Entremont (Gillsville, Ga.) in third.
Following their singles competition, athletes had a short break before they jumped back in the boats to race in doubles. In the men’s K-2 500 meters, the boat of Zur and Tim Hornsby (Gainesville, Ga.) narrowly edged the boat of House and Brandon Woods (Kaneohe, Hawaii). Finishing a few meters back in third were Daniel Krawczyk (Bayside, N.Y.) and Andy Bussey (Kailua, Hawaii).
In the women’s K-2 500 meters, Johnson and Bartlett paddled away from the field at the start, putting at least a boat length on the rest of the field. However, near the end of the race, Susannah Stucchio (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) and Emily Mickle (Gainesville, Ga.) came on very strong and nearly caught them at the line, finishing a mere four tenths of a second behind. Finishing third were the hometown pair of Feori and Maggie Hogan (San Diego, Calif.).
Competition continues Saturday at the US Team Trials in Chula Vista with 1000 meter races, where several athletes who prefer the longer distance are prepared to etch their names in the history books. With favorable weather again in the forecast, and if the closeness of finishes in the 500 meter distance were any indication, it should prove to be another excellent day of racing.
Athlete Quotes:
Johnson, on winning the women’s K-1 500 meters – “I had a really good race. I’m really excited to be able to compete internationally again and hopefully improve on last year.”
Malloch, on winning the C-1 500 meters – “Everyone had a great race. It was good to see a junior (Finlayson) finish second, and I’m very excited for the up and coming canoeists in the US.”
Bussey, on his semi-final race – “It was an honor and a privilege. I’m tired and I had to save my energy for the K-2. Timmy took it to me in the semi-final. I just can’t keep up with these young guys in the singles.”
Zur, on winning the K-1 500 meters – “I’m just happy to pull through. It was a good race and I’m happy to see the other guys getting closer and closer.”
Hornsby, on winning in the K-2 with Zur – “I think Rami’s the man. It was a good race—lots of fun.”
Bartlett, on winning in the K-2 with Johnson – “I know we can race better. We almost fell out of the boat there a couple of times in the middle of the race because of me. We’ve only paddled together four times in the last two years. We just worked it out.”
Friday’s Results:
Men’s K-1:
1. Rami Zur, 01:41.63
2. Jeff Smoke, 01:42.08
3. Morgan House, 01:42.77
4. Brandon Woods, 01:43.47
5. Taran Stucchio, 01:44.59
Women’s K-1:
1. Carrie Johnson, 01:55.06
2. Morgan Feori, 02:00.26
3. Lauren Bartlett, 02:00.93
4. Susannah Stucchio, 02:01.63
5. Maggie Hogan, 02:01.67
Men’s Canoe (C-1):
1. Jordan Malloch, 01:55.68
2. Robert Finlayson, 02:07.70
3. Sam d’Entremont, 02:08.14
4. Alden Keefe-Sampson, 02:20.62
5. Jorge Quionones, 02:21.99
Men’s K-2:
1. Rami Zur/Tim Hornsby, 01:35.44
2. Morgan House/Brandon Woods, 01:36.54
3. Daniel Krawczyk/Andy Bussey, 01:36.98
4. Pat Dolan/Eric Abbott, 01:41.82
5. John DePalma/Danny Ching, 01:43.22
Women’s K-2:
1. Carrie Johnson/Lauren Bartlett, 01:52.83
2. Emily Mickle/Susannah Stucchio, 01:53.30
3. Maggie Hogan/Morgan Feori, 01:54.13
4. Lauren Austin/Katie Hagler, 01:55.40
5. Emily Vinson/Emily Wright, 01:59.07
Men’s C-2:
1. Alejandro Schwedhelm/Sam d’Entremont, 02:04.70
2. Chris Koressel/Alden Keefe-Sampson, 02:15.62
Complete results, write-ups and photos of the event will be available at http://www.usack.org/.
USA Canoe/Kayak, headquartered in Charlotte, NC, is the National Governing Body for nine canoe and kayak racing sports, and is a member of the US Olympic Committee and the International Canoe Federation. For more information, please contact Luke Dieker at (704) 348-4330, or visit our website http://www.usack.org/.
