Njisane Phillip, Makaira Wallace claim sprint gold at National Cycling Champs

The JLD Cycling Academy pair of Njisane Phillip and Makaira Wallace starred on the third evening of the National Track Cycling Championships at the National Cycling Centre, Balmain, Couva on February 22 when they sped off with the respective men's and women's elite sprint crowns.

Phillip, 33, a two-time Olympian, set the pace in the 200-metre time trial with his time of 9.929 seconds, which bettered both Danell James (10.345) and Zion Pulido (10.494). There was no stopping Phillip in the final as he beat Pulido into second spot, with the Arima Wheelers CC pair of Ryan D'Abreau and James finishing third and fourth respectively.

Similar to her coach, Wallace set the bar high when she clocked 11.434 in the women's 200-metre time trial, with Phoeby Sandy recording a time of 11.689 to register the second-best time. Wallace, who copped two silver medals at the Union Cycliste Internationale Junior Track World Championships in Luoyang last August, again showed Sandy a clean pair of wheels in the final to claim gold ahead of her compatriot.

A pair of foreign cyclists in Suriname's Tachana Dalger and Barbados Cycling Union's Amber Joseph placed third and fourth respectively.

For Wallace, it was her second title of the championships, as she won the women's elite/Under-23 keirin crown ahead of Alexia Wilson and Sandy on the opening night of action on February 20.

Endurance rider Akil Campbell continued his fine form at the games as he pedalled to his fourth title by lifting the men's omnium crown. The PSL Cycling Club rider accumulated a total of 173 points to clinch gold, with Evolution Cycling Academy's Tariq Woods (146 points) finishing second. Team BSR-USA's Liam Trepte (127 points) was third, with Jadian Neaves (122 points) in fourth.

On February 20, Campbell won the men's 4K individual pursuit, with elimination and points race titles following on February 21.

Campbell's sister Teniel got the better of Alexi Ramirez by amassing 119 points to the latter's 81 to take first spot in the women's omnium.

Barbados rider Matthew Da Costa-Hinds was also in winners' row on the third night of competition as he copped the men's junior omnium crown, with Jelani Nedd (Team DPS) and Kyra Williams (Vapor Wake Multisport) grabbing gold medals in the respective junior men's and women's sprint events.

The championships concluded after press time on February 23, with the 1K time trial and the standing 250m races taking centre stage.