Pedalling with a mission

SHERDON PIERRE

“No dream or goal is too high to achieve, it’s only hard to do until it’s done.”

Teniel Campbell is pedalling away on a mission to put TT further on the map whether it is through cycling or inspiring young women to participate in sport. Campbell had a record-breaking 2018 by becoming the first female cyclist to break into the international circuit. The 21-year-old is now based in Agil, Switzerland at the International – Centre Mondial du Cyclisme.

Speaking after winning the Future is Female award at the TTOC's awards on Saturday, Campbell said, “My main goal is to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and become the first female TT cyclist to do so. At that point in time, I want to be able to compete for a medal for my country, these are the things you do to inspire other people…by creating trends.”

An inspirational Campbell said, “I'm embracing the role of being a role model, one of my motives is to encourage people to achieve their goals despite how high it maybe. I hope I can keep motivating younger females to get into sports and to persevere and excel in their careers.”

The winner of gold (Road Race) and three bronze medals (Scratch, Omnium, Individual pursuit) at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Barranquilla, Colombia believes her sport of cycling is on the right path. “We are heading in the right direction, we just need more support from cooperate sponsors and anyone who is willing to help further our development and getting a better structure.”

Campbell admitted that she misses Trini food but is grateful for her opportunity to be a foreign-based cyclist. The Humming Bird Silver recipient commented on her Switzerland stint, “It immensely impacted my performance; I developed a lot of strength. I became more aware of the international circuit and I was able to improve on some of my weak points so, I was really happy to see myself progressing as the months go by.”

Campbell competed in several meets throughout Europe this season and she hopes her teammates will join her soon. The Perfection Services Limited (PSL) cyclist said, “Alexi and Jessica Costa are doing well, it was really good to see Alexi doing the double at the Caribbean Championships in my absence because I didn’t want that title to go anywhere besides TT.” She continued, “This should be an eye opener for other females that we can perform on the international circuit and I really hope that we see more of our locals racing internationally.”