OKLAHOMA CITY — One day after Rami Zur failed in his first chance to wrap up a trip to his third straight Olympic Games, he pulled off an impressive double today at the U.S. Olympic trials.

Zur won his 1,000-meter single-kayak race by edging Jeff Smoke and then teamed with his fellow Olympic veteran to win the pairs kayak race.

Zur, who has been the strongest sprinter for the U.S. in recent years, lost in the single-kayak 500 to Morgan House a day earlier, missing the chance to lock up a spot in the Beijing Games this summer. Now, he and House will compete at a World Cup race in Hungary in June for the chance to represent America.

"Obviously I was really frustrated from yesterday's performance," said Zur, a 31-year-old who was born in California but grew up in Israel. "I didn't feel really sharp and ready and I kind of felt like my speed's not here yet and I was really disappointed, but that's sports."

Zur had to come from behind in the 1,000. Patrick Dolan, a Maryknoll alum from Kailua, took the early lead, and Smoke - who raced in the 1,000 in the Athens Games - was ahead at the halfway point, with Zur in fourth. Zur then made his charge and pulled past Smoke in the final 200 meters.

Zur had a time of 3 minutes, 44.542 seconds. Smoke finished in 3:45.744, and Dolan came in third in 3:53.289. House was less than six-hundredths of a second behind Dolan.

Zur and Smoke capped the day by edging Brandon Woods and Bartosz Wolski in the pairs competition. Zur and Smoke were timed in 3:29.612, with the Woods-Wolski tandem at 3:30.734. Dolan and House took third with a time of 3:35.561.

"This is actually the third time we were in the boat together. ... I guess in our case, less is more," Zur said. "It worked out good."

Another former Olympian, Jordan Malloch, dominated the canoe side of the men's competition. He completed the 1,000 course on the Oklahoma River in 4:18.424 and had about a 25-meter edge on second-place Robert Finlayson at the finish line.

Finlayson had a time of 4:34.255 while Amniel Naranjo (4:40.547) nipped Jorge Montero (4:40.996) for third place.

"I've been on two Olympic teams, so I have quite a bit of international experience and I'm also quite a bit older than everybody else out there," said Malloch, a 29-year-old from Seattle.

"That definitely helps me deal with conditions. I know what I need to do to get there fast."

Emily Vinson won the women's single-kayak 1,000 in 4:27.506, with Emily Wright (4:30.608) second and Kaitlyn McEvoy (4:39.435) third.

There were no automatic trips to the Olympics on the line Saturday. Winners of some events earned the chance to represent the U.S. at a continental qualifier next month in Montreal. Malloch will need to win a Pan Am event this summer to compete in Beijing.

Zur, who narrowly missed the finals in the 500-meter single kayak in Athens, said House's upset doesn't change his approach to the next few months.

"When I go down to the water, I don't really race or focus on other boats or other people," Zur said. "If I race the race that I train on and plan on doing, usually - and I would say 99.9 percent of the time - I have a good race and I'll win it."

For whatever reason, Zur said he thinks he performs at his best in international competition. That theory will be tested at the World Cup in June.

Zur earned the U.S. a position in the Olympics with his top 5 finish at last year's world championships, but it could be House in that spot if he finishes ahead of Zur in Hungary.

"We're doing it now on the international stage so we're testing them internationally to truly see whether Morgan's performance here wasn't just a fluke," U.S. coach Nathan Luce said.

"I know both of them are going to be quite strong, but Rami is a proven international competitor. He's won World Cup medals, he's won World Cups, he's been a top-five performer at the world championships. He's at his best on the world stage, and Morgan hasn't had the experience yet."

Zur blamed his subpar performance on a flaw in his training leading up to the trials, and he said a headwind was also a factor although he didn't want it to be an excuse.

"I know I'm ready. It's all about timing and being ready and peaking at the right moment," Zur said. "My peak was not good. I did not plan it correctly."

Zur said he typically gets stronger later in the season, and he wants to be at his best when competition starts in Beijing this August.

"Rami came into this event as - and he still is - a medal threat. But we have talent coming through the system," Luce said. "Morgan, it's been no secret that he's an up-and-coming star in the sport."

Luce sees the ongoing competition between the two as purely a positive for the program, which hasn't won a medal in the past three Olympics.

"It prevents complacency, it keeps them on their toes, and that's what you want in a program," Luce said.

"Look at swimming, look at track in the United States. Whoever's winning that 100-meter sprint in their trials is probably going to win the Olympic Games. The guy who comes second or third, you know could probably go in and win a medal as well."