Young Cardinal Glen athlete excels on the track
Eric Combasson captures provincial gold medals in tetrathlon events
Many track athletes may focus on one or perhaps two events. A young Cardinal Glen resident excels at four and has set a new provincial record in the process.
Eric Combasson, 13, set the new mark in the Under-14 boys tetrathlon event on Feb. 22, 2026. The Ontario indoor championship took place at the Toronto Track & Field Centre.
Tetrathlon sees the athlete compete in four events: high jump, shot put, 60-metre hurdles and 200-metre dash. Competitors earn points based on their results (times, distance, height).
According to an Athletics Ontario Instagram post, Eric earned “an impressive 1,249 points” from his events. That broke the record of 1,216 points set in 2019.
More success
The Ottawa Lions Track & Field Club member followed up his winter success with an equally impressive showing at the provincial outdoor championships at St. Catharines on July 24-26, 2026.
Facing a field of strong competitors from across Ontario, Eric took home the gold medal with a total of 1,445 points. That was 30 more than his closest rival. He earned top spot by finishing first in the 80-metre hurdles, and second in shot put, high jump and 200 metres.
Continuing his busy summer, Eric was right back at it the following weekend. While there was no tetrathlon, he competed in several individual events at the Ontario Summer Games in Waterloo Region. As a member of the regional ‘Valley’ team, Eric brought home a silver medal in the U14 boys long jump (4.61 metres).
He also joined three Ottawa Lions team members for the sprint medley relay. According to the club website, they set a new club record for their age class with a time of 4:44.47.
In recognition of his strong results on the track, Eric was named an Athletics Ontario All-Ontario athlete earlier this summer.
Started at young age
Eric. the son of Rémi Combasson and Sarah Strapps, tells the Chronicle he’s been involved in track and field since age five.
“After a bit, I was good at a lot of events, so I just thought I could probably do well in multiple events. I just tried out the tetrathlon and kept going,” he said.
He says the hurdles are probably his best event.
“It’s because I’m fast and I can jump high. With that together, I can do well,” he said.
At the indoor championships in February, Eric was the lone entrant in the tetrathlon. But he knew the record number to beat heading in and was determined to achieve his goal.
“I just focused on one event at a time and wasn’t thinking to the future or the past, just thinking in the moment,” he explained.
Eric’s mother Sarah says her son is determined, no matter how many others are registered.
“He had his eye on the provincial record. It’s a point system so you get points for everything that you do. It was very much him trying to reach his own goals — he’s competitive with himself,” she said.
Well-rounded
In addition to track, Eric, who enters Grade 8 at Samuel-Genest Catholic School this fall, says he enjoys playing handball, soccer, volleyball and flag football. Sarah notes her son also participates in Reach for the Top, and he joined Cadets in January.
“He’s a very gifted, natural athlete,” she said. “He always has fun (and) needs to move and get out there. He just keeps going and keeps doing things.”
Eric continues to set a good example for his younger brother Nicolas, age seven.
“We are very proud of him,” Sarah said. “My view is you’ve got to play the long game … you want to stay excited and interested in sports and the activities that you do.”