Nicholas Paul fifth in Champions League keirin in Netherlands

Trinidad and Tobago's Nicholas Paul placed fifth in the men's keirin event on November 30 in round three of the UCI Track Champions League at Apeldoorn, Netherlands.

Paul's tactics in the final were in contrast to his winning performance in the first round. Earlier in the day, Paul won his race as he kept among the leaders and made an aggressive move with just over a lap to go, and could not be caught as he turned on the jets.

In the final, however, Paul was in last place when the bell rung for the final lap and could not find the speed or the space to make inroads among the experienced and talented field. Britain's Matthew Richardson, a triple medallist at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, took the glory with a spectacular performance, despite the efforts of Dutchmen Harrie Lavreysen and Jeffrey Hoogland to box him in.

Richardson was in third position heading into the final lap, but blew past the front two with devastating speed to take the points.

Lavreysen, a five-time Olympic gold medallist and 16-time world champion, who had earlier defeated Richardson in the men's sprint final on November 30, crossed the line in fourth. Hoogland, who crossed in second, was relegated for impeding Lavreysen around the final bend. This bumped Lavreysen up to third and Paul up to fifth after crossing the line last.

The Champions League shifts to London on December 6 for the next two rounds with Lavreysen (106 points), five points ahead of Richardson. Paul, who placed second in the sprint in round two on November 29, finished in seventh in round three. He slipped to fourth position overall with 78 points.