Cycling sensation Makaira Wallace 'celebrating the little wins'

RISING speedster Makaira Wallace is “celebrating the little wins” in the early stages of her maiden year as an elite women’s cyclist.

The Trinidad and Tobago sprinter set a new national record of 10.784 seconds in the women’s sprint qualifying round (flying 200m) on debut at the UCI Track Nations Cup in Turkey on March 15.

In the process, she erased her own national flying 200m record of 10.874s, set at the Junior Track World Champs in China last year, and remains the only TT woman to go under the 11-second barrier.

With this new time, Wallace, 18, qualified 26th fastest of the 35 riders at the Nations Cup. However, she lost her round of 32 contest against Russian Alina Lysenko, who went on to earn silver.

The youngster is a double World Junior Track Champs medallist and TT’s reigning elite women’s sprint and keirin champion.

Just over two months into her elite career, Wallace is putting in the work. Her first taste of UCI-sanctioned class one racing came before her entry into the top flight, in December 2024, in Grenchen, Switzerland. There, she placed 14th in the qualifying round but was eliminated in the 1/16 final.

In January 2025, she hit the ground pedaling by competing at the Bromont class two event in Quebec, Canada, where she placed an agonising fourth in the sprints and fifth in the keirin.

Her second class one event came at the Nations Cup and Wallace has no plans of stopping.

“I am proud to have lowered the national record again with a new personal best in the 200m,” she said.

“Competing at the Nations Cup was a crucial experience, giving me the opportunity to race against the best in the world. The level of competition was higher than anything I’ve faced before, and it showed me how much I need to grow.

“Progress takes time, but I’m embracing every step of the journey and celebrating the little wins along the way.”

Wallace did not rule out her chances of securing a prized spot at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles but knows it will be no ride in the park. She remains optimistic under guidance from JLD Cycling Academy head coach and two-time TT Olympic cyclist Njisane Phillip.

“There’s a lot of work for me to do both physically and mentally on the road to LA 2028, but I believe it’s possible. My coach has endured the ins and outs of this sport throughout his career as an athlete so he knows what it takes to be the best. With his experience and support, I truly believe we can achieve anything.”

In September/October last year, Wallace and Phillip travelled to Colombia for a six-week training camp which included four weeks of long-distance, outdoor training at altitude, and two weeks on the track.