MINDEN, Nev. — The Arkansas pair of Boomer and Chris Aiken made their mark in the retriever world on Wednesday claiming the first gold medal of the 2003 ESPN Great Outdoor Games presented by Dodge.

	The silver medal went to 2002 gold medallist Ticket and his handler, Alex Washburn.

"This is fantastic," said Aiken of his 4-year-old black Lab's performance. "To do this against dogs with tons of experience shows the heart Boomer has. To get through some of the stuff a dog has to, he has to want those birds."

Boomer, who was the youngest of the four finalists in the Retriever Trial event, ended the competition with just 38 points in a round that saw Ticket, last year's gold medalist, finish in the silver medal position with 57 points.

"Ticket is officially retired," said Virginian Alexandra Washburn of her 11-year-old black Lab. "I've been saying that for three years, but this is it. I like going out this way, with a gold medal last year and a silver this year. Next year I'll be watching the competition on satellite TV."

Louisiana's Bill Autrey and his 10-year-old black Lab Cody took home the bronze medal with 94 points, edging out Georgia's Jerry Day and Super Sue, who wrapped up her final event with 101 points. Day and Autrey switched places in the points standings after the semi-final round, in which Day finished in third with 46 points and Autrey finished in third with 78. However, the leader board was cleared between the rounds, allowing Autrey and Cody to edge out Day and Sue in the finals.

"I would have liked to have done better, but I'm happy to be here," said Autrey of the bronze medal performance. "There were a lot of good dogs here."

Sue, the 2001 gold medal winner and silver medalist at last year's games, was the oldest competitor in the event at the amazing age of 12.

"We wanted to come back this year and thank ESPN for what they have done for this sport and say thanks to all of our fans," said Day, who will retire Sue after the Games. "I'm the luckiest man in the world to have been able to stand over her for the past 12 years."

The day began with 8 dogs competing in the semifinal round. The top qualifier from day one, Windy, was unable to get on track in the semifinals and was withdrawn from the competition by her handler, Arkansas' Dana Giovanello, and finished in a tie for seventh with Pepper, handled by Larry McMurry of Arkansas, who was disqualified after being unable to find the first bird of her round.

John Terraciano of Billings, Mont., and Titan finished fifth with 98 points in the semi-finals and Tennessee's Jimmy McMahan and Ice finished sixth with 131 points.

The Games officially begin Thursday at Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno, and will include the retrievers' medal ceremony at 11 a.m. Thursday.

Top outdoor athletes from around the world compete for entry into the ESPN Great Outdoor Games, held in Reno-Tahoe July 10-13. The ultimate championship of outdoor sports features one-of-a-kind, head-to-head competition in timber and target events, sporting dogs and fishing. While entertaining large crowds on site, the ESPN Great Outdoor Games also draws a worldwide television audience airing on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC Sports beginning July 19.