Brian Staton brought home a double rainbow of medals from the national masters swimming championships last weekend in Calgary.
Competing in the 70-74-year age bracket, the Black Creek resident won gold in the 50-metre and 100m freestyle, silver in the 50m backstroke and 200m freestyle, and bronze in the 100m back and 400m free. He narrowly missed a third bronze medal in the 50m breaststroke.
“I’m a sprinter,” said Staton, 71. “I was surprised actually.”
The meet attracted 500-plus entries from various parts of the world, including the U.S., New Zealand and Australia. There were about eight swimmers in the 70-74 division.
“Most people coming here are in the top end of their age category,” said Staton, a varsity swimmer at Simon Fraser University in the 1960s.
His next competition comes in September at the annual 55+ BC Games. This year’s host towns are Kimberley and Cranbrook.