A young track star from Arbor Intermediate School won two gold medals for his age group in the AAU track national club championships in Orlando, FL, on July 12 and 13.

Xavier Hairston, who is going into fifth-grade, took first place in the 800 and 1,500 meters in the 10-year-old boys division. He races for the Supersonics Track Club of New Brunswick and is now a six-time AAU All-American.

Xavier set a personal record of 2:26:67 in the 800, beating out last year’s Junior Olympic gold medalist in an electrifying sprint to the finish line. The next day, he set a personal record of 4:59:02 in the 1,500, coming 2 seconds from breaking the National Club Championship record set in 2015.

“We are overflowing with pride as he represented New Jersey and the Supersonics on a national level,” said his mother, Leisha Hairston. “He stayed focused and accomplished a year-long goal! He also displays great sportsmanship, as he high-fived each one of his competitors when they finished the race.”

Xavier made his premier on the national level at 2021, when he became an All-American for the first time in the 800 and 1500 at age 7. In August 2022, Xavier qualified for the AAU Junior Olympics at North Carolina A&T University, where he placed eighth in the nation in the 800 and fourth in the 1,500 out of more than 90 athletes from around the country.

“After this amazing achievement,” his mother said, “he set a goal of coming back in 2023 and going for the gold.”