Nicholas Paul sprints to gold in Germany

Top Trinidad and Tobago cyclist Nicholas Paul pedaled to his first outdoor men’s sprint gold medal of the season in Germany on Monday.

Paul won the International Cycling Union (UCI) class one event by defeating German speedster Maximilian Dornbach in straight rides, in front of his home crowd.

Despite qualifying fourth fastest in the opening flying 200m round, Paul went on to dispose of every cyclist he faced en route to the gold medal.

In the semi-finals, Paul showed clear intent when he blew past Frenchman Ryan Helal in straight rides. Helal went on to claim bronze after he defeated Thailand’s Jai Angsuthasawit in the third place ride-off.

Paul did not contest the keirin.

After his golden finish, Paul posted to Facebook saying, “Great day of racing in Germany. It’s all about trusting the process.”

His last performance came in early May, when he returned to Trinidad for the National Track Cycling Championships, and won the sprint and keirin events.

He confirmed his next competitive stint as the Elite Pan American Games in Argentina from June 14-18.