Matti Erickson has achieved something no other Kootenay runner has accomplished.
The Nelson native became not only the first L.V. Rogers runner to win gold at the provincial high school cross country championships, but the first Kootenay region athlete as well.
No Kootenay athlete has ever placed in the top-three positions of Erickson’s event since records began being kept in 1970.
Erickson outran over 300 runners from B.C. high schools to finish first in the junior boys 5.2-kilometre race.
Related: Kid Flash: Matti Erickson can’t be caught
The victory follows the previous weekend when Erickson won the gold medal in the B.C. provincial club championships.
The LVR junior boys team of Erickson, Stevie McCulloch, Noah Malenfant and Dylan Gyr placed 10th overall out of 33 of the best high school teams from around the province.
McCulloch finished 58th in the 5.2 km, Malenfant was 69th and Gyr followed in 75th.
Avie Waterfall (74th overall) and Zoe Taylor (91st) also each competed in the junior girls 4.2-km event.
