MADISON, Wis. — Showing consistency in her times through four rounds, 4-year-old Ransom won the Agility Superweave gold medal in the ESPN Great Outdoor Games presented by Dodge at the Alliant Energy Center Saturday.

Bred and trained by handler Sherry Kluever of Romeoville, Ill., Ransom got off to a great start in the championship race against Luz, also a Border collie. Luz upset 2003 gold medalist Echo in the semifinals with a photo finish that had to be reviewed by judges before a final decision was issued.

Sixteen dogs began the competition, working their way through an obstacle course consisting of hurdles, tubes and stakes. Time penalties are issued for faults, such as knocking down a hurdle on a jump, and dogs must return to complete any missed stakes on the weave for the run to be official.

In the championship race, Luz knocked off the bar on the third hurdle yet maintained a good pace. The weave was almost nose-to-nose, with Ransom winning by a half-second in 20.98 to Luz's 21.64.

"I had no idea about the fault," said Kluever, whose back was turned to Luz and her handler, Olga Chaiko of North Hollywood, Calif., when the fault occurred. "I was so concentrated on Ransom that I didn't even know about it until they told me during the television interview."

In the consolation round, Dilemma and Lisa Flowers knocked off Kendall Fairchild and Echo despite both dogs missing stakes in the weave. Dilemma missed at the start, regrouped and then won the bronze by about four seconds after Echo returned to complete the weave after missing one of the final stakes.

Kluever and Ransom were consistent throughout the competition, with three rounds of about 20 seconds and a blazing 19.50 time in the quarterfinal round. Only one other dog had a time less than 20 seconds in the entire competition.

"I was just trying to stay focused and not get out too far in front of her," Kluever said. "Ransom's not the largest dog out there and doesn't have the biggest stride, so I was trying to just stay with her all the way."

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
1. Ransom, Sherry Kluever, Romeoville, Ill.
2. Luz, Olga Chaiko, North Hollywood, Calif.
3. Dilemma, Lisa Flowers, Westerville, Ohio
4. Echo, Kendall Fairchild, Amherst, N.H.
5. Ariba, Cindy Brick, Stevens Point, Wis.
6. Qwik, Stuart Mah, Bryceville, Fla.
7. Spring, Julie Daniels, North Sandwich, N.H.
8. Cap, Donna Rohaus, New Alexandria, Pa.
9. Houston, Kathy Wells, Southfield, Mich.
10. Mayhem, Chris Parker, Jackson, N.J.
11. Juice, Marcus Topps, Garland, Texas
12. Remy, Terry Smorch, Lake Elmo, Minn.
13. Quick, Kate Moureaux, Fillmore, Calif.
14. Able, Stacy Peardot-Goudy, La Porte, Colo.
15. Mojo, Kathy Keats, Tillsonburg, Ont., Canada
16. Dealer, Jennifer Pinder, Lapeer, Mich.

Results (By Round)

Final Round
Ransom 20.989 (0) def Luz 21.649 (5)

Consolation Round
Dilemma 24.480 (0) def Echo 28.402 (0)

Semi-Final Round
Luz 21.100 (5) def Echo 21.165 (5)
Ransom 20.709 (0) def Dilemma 21.104 (5)

Quarter-Final Round
Luz 26.085 (0) def Spring 22.667 (5)
Echo 21.898 (0) def Cap 23.855 (5)
Dilemma 20.555 (0) def Qwik 20.373 (5)
Ransom 19.509 (0) def Ariba 22.691 (0)

Round One
Luz 21.339 (5) def Quick 21.609 (5)
Spring 22.152 (0) def Houston 24.191 (0)
Cap 24.884 (0) def Remy 21.412 (5)
Echo 21.865 (0) def Juice 19.961 (5)
Dilemma 24.272 (0) def Dealer 23.544 (50)
Qwik 21.314 (0) def Mayhem 25.906 (0)
Ariba 22.717 (0) def Mojo 20.842 (50)
Ransom 20.441 (0) def Able 22.098 (5)

Qualifier
1 Luz 21.527 (0)
2 Dilemma 21.666 (0)
3 Ransom 21.707 (0)
4 Echo 21.983 (0)
5 Cap 22.849 (0)
6 Ariba 23.173 (0)
7 Mayhem 23.529 (0)
8 Houston 23.543 (0)
9 Spring 24.309 (0)
10 Qwik 21.677 (5)
11 Mojo 22.000 (5)
12 Remy 23.535 (5)
13 Juice 25.209 (5)
14 Able 22.876 (10)
15 Dealer 37.909 (10)
16 Quick 23.494 (20)