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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 12:56 p.m., Sunday, April 20, 2008

Kaneohe kayaker Woods will get chance at Olympic qualifier

Advertiser News Services

OKLAHOMA CITY — A new foursome — including Kane'ohe's Brandon Woods — cruised past a boat featuring two former Olympians at the U.S. Olympic trials today to earn the chance to qualify for a spot in the Beijing Games.

Woods, a 2002 Mid-Pacific graduate, Bartosz Wolski, Taran Stucchio and Tim Hornsby paddled their kayak to victory in the 1,000-meter race on the Oklahoma River, beating Morgan House, Patrick Dolan and former Olympians Jeff Smoke and Rami Zur by just under 2 seconds.

In the junior men's competition, Maryknoll School senior Ryan Dolan of Kailua earned his fourth victory of the weekend, teaming with Kamehameha's BJ Campbell to win the junior kayak pairs 1,000 meters final today in 3 minutes, 53.780 seconds.

Woods, Wolski, Stucchio and Hornsby had been training as a unit but had never before raced together.

"They did what they needed to do. They won," U.S. coach Nathan Luce said. "And they were up against a crew that had some great bodies in there. ... I knew it was going to be a good race because they're all gamers." The winning time was 3 minutes, 13.936 seconds while the crew including Smoke and Zur finished in 3:15.886. Only two boats competed in the race.

The winners of the 1,000-meter races — including the foursome — will try to earn spots at the Olympics during a continental qualifier next month in Montreal. Kayaker Carrie Johnson, who will compete in the 500 on the women's side, was the only athlete to clinch a spot in the Beijing Games during the three-day Olympic trials, which concluded today.

Dolan won the junior 500 and 1,000 meter kayak titles as well as the 500 kayak pairs with Campbell. Dolan already has accepted a nomination to compete in the solo kayaking events for the Junior Pan American Team, May 15-18 in Montreal. Other members of the team are expected to be announced this week.

In other results involving Hawai'i Canoe-Kayak Team:

Giulia Anderson and Rachel Fujita finished third in the junior women kayak pairs 1,000 meters final in 4:46.672.

Kati Erwin finished fourth with teammate Megan Kelly in the senior women kayak pairs 1,000 in 5:09.807.

Associated Press contributed to this report.