Cyclists Paul, Browne battle in Olympic keirin – last chance to medal for TTO

Trinidad and Tobago's Olympic medal hopes will rest on national cyclists Nicholas Paul and Kwesi Browne as they compete in the men's keirin event on August 10.

TT have yet to earn a medal at the 2024 Paris Games. Paul and Browne will line up in the keirin qualification round from 11.19 am, TT time. Both riders competed in the sprint event on August 7.

Paul did not advance to the quarterfinals as he could not win his race in the 1/8 repechage. Earlier in the sprint, Browne was 26th in the qualifying round among the 30 cyclists. He needed to finish in the top 24 to advance.

The top two riders in each heat will progress to the quarterfinals of the keirin with the other cyclists going into the repechage for another chance to advance.

Browne will be first on the track in heat four of the keirin alongside a few quality riders. Browne will compete against Colombian Kevin Quintero, a cyclist the TT rider has battled against repeatedly at Pan American Games. Canadian Nick Wammes, Mikhail Yakovlev of Israel and Jai Angsathasawit of Thailand will also try to advance in heat four.

Paul will have to be at his best as heat five is loaded. Vasilijus Lendel of Lithuania, Sam Dakin of New Zealand and Polish cyclist Mateusz Rudyk are all top-rated cyclists. The trio competed in the sprint with Rudyk advancing all the way to the quarterfinals, before losing to eventual gold medallist Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands.

After ending the 2020 Tokyo Olympics without a medal, TT have not earned any medals in Paris with just the keirin appearance by Paul and Browne remaining.

The closest TT came to getting on the podium was a fourth-place finish by Jereem Richards in the men's 400-metre event on August 7.

On August 8, two-time Olympic medallist Keshorn Walcott was seventh in the men's javelin final. Walcott won TT's last Olympic medal when he copped bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The keirin final will speed off at 7.23 am on August 11 with Paul and Browne hoping to be among the starters.