Competing in four classes, Jackson’s junior men’s score would have placed second in senior men.

US teen Dane Jackson’s 980 point ride got people’s attention here today at the International Canoe Federation Freestyle Kayak World Championships.

In a league of his own in the junior men’s class, Jackson’s 980 point second ride was the highest single score of the competition so far. Jackson’s total combined score of 1656 - the only junior men’s score over 1000 points - would have put him in second place in the men’s division, behind only fellow Team USA member Stephen Wright who racked up 1696 points in the senior men’s prelims in the morning.

Jackson is qualified to compete in all four classes of freestyle at these World Championships and is the only competitor doing so. In addition to junior men, he is competing in Canoe (C1), Open Canoe (OC1) and Squirt. Jackson had the highest score in C1 prelims, 1293, and the second highest score in squirt prelims, 1669. The only event in which he has not advanced so far is OC1, where, uncharacteristically, he was scoreless.

Jackson said the high-scoring 45-second ride is the same routine he’s been practicing here for the past two weeks. He said it was “pretty cool” that he got the highest single ride of the competition so far. With the exception of OC1, Jackson said he’s feeling “pretty good” about his performances here so far.

In a sign of the health of the sport, two other junior men - Spaniards Joaquin Fontane, 893 and Aleix Salvat, 790 - put together preliminary round rides that also would have qualified them in the senior men’s division. The only German youth to advance to the next round was Michel Hasselwander, in seventh place with 353 points.

Scores weren’t nearly as high but in the junior women’s prelims but they were somewhat higher than the junior women’s average score at the 2009 World Championships. Team USA’s Hannah Kertesz earned the top score of 280, followed by Gabby Bates (GBR) with 200. Germany’s lone junior girl to advance to the semifinals is Anne Rist with 43 points.