He may only be nine, but it seems Jackson Fellowes has made up his mind about what his future will hold: he's determined to dominate the world of speed skating.
And if his recent haul of four gold medals and a new speed record are anything to go by, Jackson may have a real shot.
The plucky Waingaro School student won the 300m, 500m, 1000m and 1500m Primary Boys events at the New Zealand Banked Track Speed Skating Championships in Timaru over Waitangi weekend. Given the 1500m event is a new distance on the NZ circuit, it meant Jackson was the first in his grade to post a speed record in that event. He crossed the line in 3 minutes, 13 seconds.
Jackson got involved in speed skating when he visited the skating rink at Melville with his parents Mel and Marcus. Marcus skated competitively as a youngster and has since got back into the sport.
"Jackson put a pair of skates on and that was it," said Mel.