Nicholas Paul golden, Kwesi Browne grabs bronze in Germany

Olympic-bound cyclists Nicholas Paul and Kwesi Browne pedalled to gold and bronze, respectively, in the men’s sprint event at the International Rail Tour and Cycling Bundelsiga 2021 in Germany on Sunday.

Against regional rival and fellow World Cycling Centre training partner Jair Tjon En Fa (Suriname) in the final, Paul cruised to victory in two straight rides along the 198-metre concrete track.

Sunday’s final was a repeat result of a semi-final round ride between the two at the 2021 International Belgian Track Meeting five weeks ago. There, Paul advanced to the final, but took silver after he lost to 2012 Olympic gold medallist Jason Kenny of Great Britain.

On Sunday, Paul advanced second fastest in the Flying 200m with a time of 10.326 seconds. Topping the field was Tjon En Fa (10.222s), while Browne (10.551s) and Thai rider Jai Angsuthasawit (10,661s) rounded off the top four.

In the quarter-finals, Paul defeated South African Jean Spies before bettering his countryman Browne in the semi-final round.

Browne secured his first podium spot of the season as he conquered Angsuthasawit in the bronze medal ride.

About his winning performance, Paul told Newsday via WhatsApp, “It was different. Haven’t been on the concrete for a little while, but it was good get to do some racing on the concrete again.”

The TT riders are expected to return to their base in Aigle, Switzerland, as they continue preparations ahead of the Tokyo Games.