Trinidad and Tobago cyclists begin 2024 Olympic qualifying quest in Egypt

TRINIDAD and Tobago endurance cyclists Alexi Costa and Akil Campbell begin their respective 2024 Paris Olympic qualification journeys at the Tissot UCI Track Nations Cup in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday.

The pair line up for the women and men’s elimination races heats in the morning session, and once qualified, will chase a medal spot in the final stages of the evening session at the Cairo International Velodrome.

All four representing TT cyclists hit the track on Thursday as Costa and Campbell tackle the opening rounds of omnium races while returning speedster Nicholas Paul and Tokyo Olympic partner Kwesi Browne gear up for the men’s keirin first round.

Paul will be eager to resume his Olympic points chase since he had been recovering from a collarbone fracture sustained in October. This will be his first competitive meet since winning triple gold at the Elite Pan Am Track Cycling Championships in Peru, last year.

Similarly, Browne makes an anticipated return to the global circuit although he copped three titles at the inaugural Caribbean Track Cycling Championships in November.

On Friday, omnium competition continues and concludes while Paul and Browne vie for top honours in the men’s sprint event, beginning with the men’s flying 200m, of which Paul is the current world record holder (9.1 seconds).