Nicholas Paul blazes sprint rivals at Speed Paradise

Trinidad and Tobago cyclist Nicholas Paul continued his stellar form on the track bagging gold in the men’s sprint event on day two of the Team Drive Phase Sport (DPS) Speed Paradise event at the National Cycling Centre in Balmain, Couva on Thursday.

Last Sunday, Paul won the men’s sprint event at the International Cycling Union Nations Cup in Milton, Canada.

Racing on home soil for the first time this year, Paul was not going to disappoint his fans as he dominated in consecutive rides.

Paul was too fast for Callum Saunders of New Zealand in race two. With one and a half laps remaining in the deciding race Paul went into second gear and comfortably left him trailing.

The 24 year old, who made his Olympic debut in 2021, is finding his best form again after suffering an injury at the end of 2022 which had him sidelined for months. During a training session in Switzerland, Paul fell and suffered a broken collar bone and fractured ribs.

Olympian Kwesi Browne, who has also been competing regularly overseas, also got on the podium with a third-place finish in the sprint.

The Canadian pair of Ryan Dodyk and James Hedgcock ended fourth and fifth, respectively.

There were a few other finals on the night with national cyclist Kyle Caraby winning the men’s Under-23 sprint final ahead of fellow TT riders Ryan D’Abreau and Samuel Maloney. Upcoming rider Devante Laurence also showed his ability with a fourth-place finish to make it a strong showing for the TT cyclists in the event.

In the junior sprint final, Syndel Samaroo copped gold in an all-TT affair. Jarel Mohammed was second, Danell James third and Raul Garcia fourth.

In the women’s keirin final, TT junior cyclist Phoebe Sandy competed against some experienced riders. Sandy was sixth in the event won by Great Britain’s Iona Moir. Jamaican Dahlia Palmer was second and Moir’s team-mate Rhianna Parris-Smith was third.

National endurance cyclist Akil Campbell continued to show form with a victory in the men’s elimination. The experienced Barbadian pair of Edwin Sutherland and Jamol Eastmond finished second and third, respectively.

In the men’s 15K scratch race, American Daniel Breuer won ahead of Campbell,.

In the women’s omnium Mexican Yareli Mendoza was the winner.

The Team DPS Carnival of Speed event will pedal off on Saturday at the National Cycling Centre from 3 pm. Adults and teens must pay $60, but children under 12 and people over 60 can enter free of charge.