A brilliant semifinal run has given New Zealand whitewater kayaker Mike Dawson his best result on the World Cup circuit in Slovenia.

He eventually finished 10th in the first ICF championship event of the season in Tacen, drawing a 50 second time penalty in the K1 final to fall out of medal contention.

Tauranga kayaker Mike Dawson on his way to the final on the World Cup whitewater slalom event in Tacen, Slovenia, overnight. Photo: Glenys Travers.

But he'd already created a little bit of history, becoming the first Kiwi male to make it past the semifinals at a World Cup round.

"Unfortunately I knocked the last gate in the final with the wrong side of my head, so was credited with missing it," says Mike.

"But I'm delighted with my performance and life tastes pretty good at the moment.

'It's certainly a big confidence booster with Olympic selections coming up."

The result is easily the 24-year-old's best at senior level, surpassing his 21st placing at the same venue four years ago, and comes just a week after starring in extreme races at the Teva Outdoor Games in Italy.
His superb semifinal run was the key, clocking the second-fastest run of the round with a 97.06sec effort. Only a single touch at one of the gates dropped him back to 10th position, still good enough to ease into the final 0.1sec ahead of Italian world champion Daniele Molmenti.

Slovenians Peter Kauzer and Jure Meglic dominated the final to finish first and second respectively, with Kauzer using his local knowledge to clock an amazing 95.48sec final run, repeating his victory at the same event in 2008. German Sebastian Schubert was third in 99.57secs.

New Zealand's Beijing Olympian paddler Luuka Jones wasn't so lucky in the K1 women's event, finishing 31st after the heats and just missing a spot in the semifinal by a solitary place. Otaki's Louise Jull was 45th.

In the men's C1 canoe heats, Tauranga teenagers Shaun Travers and Brent Bastin were 43rd and 45th respectively.

Most of the New Zealand team will now head to the next World Cup round in L'Argentiere, France, next weekend, with Dawson also eyeing a chance to race the London Olympic course at the end of July, with an invitational race at the Lee Valley White Water Centre.