Bramble 3rd in keirin semis

KERON Bramble moved to add another medal to his name at the 2019 Pan American Track Cycling Championship in Bolivia last night when he challenged the men's keirin final, having raced twice earlier in the day with success.

Bramble, who was part of the record breaking sprint team, which won gold the night prior, placed second in his keirin heat, before placing third in his semifinal heat. He pedalled off in the final after press time last evening.

While he placed second in his heat yesterday morning, his TTO team-mate Kwesi Browne had tougher luck, performing creditably but finishing third in his heat.

Browne advanced to the repechage round, in which he and two other competitors collided on the track, with the trio spilling over in an ugly fall. He was recorded as finishing fifth, although medical treatment was subsequently required.

Bramble was on a high as he, Njisane Phillip and Nicholas Paul created headlines across the cycling world Wednesday evening, recording not only a new TT national record and a new Pan American record in the team sprint, but also the second fastest time recorded in the event, with an effort of 41.938 seconds. That world leading effort for 2019 but TT in the history books, short only to Germany, which clocked the record of 41.871 seconds at the UCI World Cup in 2013.

The performance was described by recently-elected TT cycling chief Larry Romany as "out of this world" and one that almost surely would have won team TTO an Olympic medal, had they been on that stage at the time.

"The country should be extremely proud of these boys," Romany told Newsday yesterday. "You cannot get more world class than that."

The previous Pan American record of 42.772 seconds, set by Colombia in 2013, was shattered earlier in the day by TTO team, consisting of Browne, Bramble and Phillip, who obliterated it in 42.395 seconds.

The team twice left Argentina to finish second, closing well ahead of the South Americans on both occasions. Argentina clocked 44.596 seconds in their silver medal performance.

Later Wednesday night, Akil Campbell came agonisingly close to a medal of his own, but managed a fourth place finish in the men's elite scratch (15km). That event was won by Eric Young of the United States, followed by Mexico's Igancio Juarez and Canadian Aidan Caves.

Yesterday, Domonique Lovell, TTO's lone woman representative, placed 20th in the women's sprint in 12.312 seconds, which was off the winning mark, secured by Canada's Kelsey Mitchell in 10.154 seconds.