JR Salzman of Rochester, Minn., enhanced his collection of precious metals today with the gold medal in the Men's Log Rolling competition at the ESPN Great Outdoor Games presented by Dodge.
Salzman, who is also the 2004 gold medalist in Men's Boom Run, was out to upgrade the two silver medals he earned for Log Rolling and Boom Run in 2003. Darren Hudson, the 2002 Log Rolling gold medalist from Barrington, Nova Scotia, made Salzman work for the win, dumping the Army National Guardsman into the water twice before Salzman handed Hudson the third fall that decided the gold.
"JR is a competitor in unbelievable shape and a very aggressive player," Hudson said after the match. "You know that he is going to go all out from time to time and you just have to keep up with him. At times you have to just wait it out and wait for a chance to get back at him."
Midway through Sunday's competition, the audience was told that Salzman finished basic training with the Army National Guard just prior to the Games. They responded with a standing ovation.
"I felt the crowd was behind me, but they cheered both of us. I know these people here in Madison are proud to be an American and wanted to show it and did," he said.
In the bronze medal final, two-time gold medalist Jamie Fischer of Stillwater, Minn. took the bronze medal from Brain Duffy, a district attorney from Hayward, Wis. in a 3-0 blowout. Fischer's total Great Outdoor Games tally now includes six gold and two bronze medals.
Admission to the Great Outdoor Games is free. The Games will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC from July 14 through July 19.
Final Standings - Men's Log Roll
1 Jr Salzman
2 Darren Hudson
3 Jamie Fischer
4 Brian Duffy
5 Dan Mcdonough
5 Fred Scheer
5 John Wells
5 Travis Wells
Results (By Round)
Final Round
JR Salzman (3) def Darren Hudson (2)
Consolation Round
Jamie Fischer (3) def Brian Duffy (0)
Semifinal Round
JR Salzman (2) def Brian Duffy (1)
Darren Hudson (2) def Jamie Fischer (1)
Quarterfinal Round
JR Salzman (2) def Travis Wells (0)
Brian Duffy (2) def Dan McDonough (1)
Jamie Fischer (2) def Fred Scheer (0)
Darren Hudson (2) def John Wells (0)
