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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 4:47 p.m., Sunday, November 2, 2008

Skateboarding: Gagnon and Rodriguez win titles

By TIM BOOTH
AP Sports Writer

SEATTLE— Pierre-Luc Gagnon could afford to take a moment and have his sore neck worked on during the middle of the skateboarding vert finals.

His first run put away the contest.

Gagnon wrapped up his dominating, nearly perfect season in the pipe, easily winning Action Sports Championship vert title today, easily outdistancing Danny Mayer and Sandro Dias, the other two podium finishers.

Gagnon won by more than four points, scoring a 92.50 on his first run, then capping off his day, and possibly the 2008 season, with a 94.50 on his final drop onto the ramp.

"That fifth run was really what I was looking for," he said. "It's about feeling satisfied with myself and the way that I skated. The crowd came here for a good show. I wanted to give them what they paid for."

The final run was pure Gagnon, the reason he's assented to being the top vert skater in the world, pulling out a series of board trick and spins that no other competitor tried.

While Dias excited and wowed the crowd with amazing amplitude on all his runs, it was the technical skill of Gagnon that gave him yet another prestigious title in 2008 and another $30,000 in his bank account.

Gagnon's final run included a trio of board flips that only he performs. Mayer may be the owner of the "Kickflip McTwist" — an inverted 540 combined with a board flip, which Mayer landed on his impressive second run — but Gagnon's series of various, unmatched 360 heel flips easily handed the Canadian his fourth major title of this year.

"Maybe I didn't have the amplitude Sandro had, but I definitely beat him with the technical stuff," Gagnon said.

Gagnon already won the Maloof Money Cup, the richest event in skateboarding, the X Games gold medal and the Dew Tour championship.

While Gagnon remained confident, Dias put a charge into the crowd with his final run, flying out of the ramp with unmatched speed and height. He also managed to stay on his board for his final trick of the 10-wall event, after falling on the ninth wall of two previous runs.

"It was 'oh my gosh, I have to do this thing right now,'" the Brazilian said of his final wall, a successful move that landed him $10,000 for finishing third.

While Gagnon has dominated the ramp this season, Paul Rodriguez has been equally impressive on the street. Dubbed "P-Rod," the son of the comedian with the same name, outlasted seven other skaters in a wild 10-minute jam session that was contested on, and around a 12-step staircase with a six-foot drop.

Rodriguez was easily the most consistent skater, and was nearly flawless on his rail tricks. His only falls came when Rodriguez tried to fly the extended staircase.

Rodriguez scored a 95.75 in the finals. Greg Lutzka finished second (89.25) and Rodolfo Ramos (89.00) finished third.

"It was kind of scary ... but I was able to go for some tricks I normally wouldn't try," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez also took first at the Maloof Money Cup and grabbed a silver at the X Games this year as well.