Paul: 'Marginal gains' key to elite success

TOP track cyclist Nicholas Paul begins his Olympic qualification journey at the World Track Championships in October, but a packed slate of elite-level competition earlier in the year will play a crucial role in shaping his quest toward the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

Before lining up at the October 14-18 World Champs in China, Paul begins his 2026 push with a feast of events, starting with the Pan American Track Championships from February 16-22 in Chile, followed by the UCI Nations Cup rounds in Hong Kong from April 17-19 and Malaysia from April 24-26.

After that, he shifts focus to the Commonwealth Games (July 23 to August 2) in Scotland or the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games (July 24 to August 8) in Dominican Republic, before charting off to Shanghai for his first 2028 Olympic qualifier.

Those competitions in the lead-up to Worlds, Paul believes, will be vital opportunities to refine his race execution and secure the marginal gains he feels are now essential at the highest level of the sport.

“I have to still work on my tactics in racing, that's a big part of it now. And being able to actually get the marginal gains now, because that's where I'm losing. I need to get the marginal gains on the track, in the gym, maybe equipment-wise,” he said.

Paul described 2026 as a “big year” for him, stressing that performing strongly early in the qualification cycle could ease pressure later on.

Once qualified for the 2028 Games, this would be Paul’s third appearance at the Olympic level. He is yet to seal a podium place for TT despite his continued consistency as a top contender in the lead-up at the past two editions in 2020 and 2024.

He is eager to get a positive start towards his Olympic goal.

“I always want to start off the ball rolling on a good note, so then on the back end I wouldn't be panicking or fighting for points. That is the plan, to make sure I have a good World Championships this year and just keep taking it step by step to qualify for LA,” he added.

Paul enters this demanding schedule after a 2025 season that he described as productive, though less intense than previous Olympic years.

“2025 was a full year. It wasn't as hectic as the previous years because it's after the Olympics. We had a little down year.

“But I would say that coming into the Pan American Championships where I won three gold (team sprint with Njisane Phillip and Ryan D’Abreau, sprint, 1K time trial) and one silver (keirin), that one was good.”

Paul also reflected on his performances at the 2025 World Champs, where he narrowly missed the podium by finishing fourth in the sprint and seventh in the keirin.

He described coming so close to his third World Champs medal as bittersweet. Paul acknowledged there are still areas in his racing that require improvement.

At the Bolivarian Games, he delivered another classy showing by pedalling to sprint gold and keirin silver at the nation’s inaugural appearance at this event.

Now in Trinidad and Tobago for the Christmas period, Paul is balancing rest with preparation for the challenges ahead.

“I’m just reflecting now, resting and recovering, getting ready for the Pan Am Champs.”

For his stellar year, Paul copped the TT Cycling Federation’s male international cyclist of the year award at their annual ceremony in December.