Matti Erickson won two gold medals and a bronze at the International Youth Meet of Champions indoor track and field meet earlier this month in Toronto.
The Trafalgar runner finished first in the 800- and 1,200-metre races on Dec. 9 while also adding a bronze in the 300.
Erickson set a new national time in the 800 of two minutes 8.69 seconds, bettering the old mark of 2:10.33. He also finished a full seven and eight seconds ahead of the Ontario and Quebec champions, who fell off the pace in their heat with Ericson at the 200-metre mark.
Only provincial records are recorded at the bantam age level. National best times can be calculated by reviewing the provincial records.
In the 1,200-metre run, Erickson was well on his way to setting a second national record. On the last lap, Ericson had passed so many runners that the person ringing the bell thought Ericson was one of the runners who had been lapped and did not ring the bell. Ericson ended up running seven laps instead of six and missed out on the opportunity for two records in two races.
Erickson is a member of the Nelson-based Kootenay Chaos Track Team coached by Alex Ulaszonek. New members are welcome. Contact info is available on the Kootenay Chaos Facebook site.