Paul and Browne on the right track

National cycling coach, Erin Hartwell has now shifted focus towards securing individual Olympic spots for Nicholas Paul (Sprint) and Kwesi Browne (Keirin).

Following the recent dissolve of TT’s Men’s Team Sprint squad, Hartwell will place increased emphasis on ensuring both Paul and Browne attain their respective Olympic debuts.

Since the pair returned from a hectic four weeks of chasing precious Olympic qualifier points in China, New Zealand and Australia in late 2019, they have already hit the National Cycling Velodrome track in preparation for their final two qualifier events.

The duo, alongside coach Hartwell and other staff members, begin their penultimate Tokyo 2020 qualifier tourney at the International Cycling Union (UCI) World Cup in Milton, Canada (January 24-26) followed by the final hurdle, UCI’s Track Cycling World Championships in Berlin, Germany (February 26 – March 1). They are tentatively scheduled to leave for Canada on January 18-20.

According to the ace cycling coach, both athletes have been doing well and are currently fine tuning their performances ahead of these crucial meets.

“They’re on point,” he said. “We’ve had a couple of big weeks with some overload preparation to strengthen the foundation that might have eroded a bit from the recent World Cup swing. We’re doing a lot of strength work on and off the bike and also transitioning into more power and speed orientation in preparation for the upcoming World Cup. They’re in good form, a bit tired, but that’s expected because it’s also part of the process.”

Hartwell admitted he is pleased with their progress and focus on what needs to be achieved within the coming weeks. Both athletes have now prioritized their individual events, with Paul now veering his attention away from the Team Sprint, having previously lined up alongside compatriots Njisane Phillip and Keron Bramble, prior to their unexpected withdrawal.

“I really like where we’re at. When the guys show up for training, and I mean the staff too, everybody is focused on the tasks at hand and getting the job done on the day and recovery for the next session. It’s a professional environment. They’re doing exactly what they have to do,” added Hartwell.

With Team Sprint now virtually out of contention for TT, both athletes will be able to spend more time honing their individual talents. Hartwell believes this additional one-on-one coaching time should provide a slight advantage towards their development.

“The option to transition to more sprint and keirin-oriented training, which would be event specific, obviously it would be beneficial to them in their individual events. At the same time, if we can still qualify two guys for the Games in individual events that’s what we’ll do and stay focused on that,” he concluded.