Njisane: My JLD team reignited my spark for cycling

Despite retiring from competitive cycling in February 2022, Trinidad and Tobago’s two-time Olympic speedster Njisane Phillip made a surprise return to the circuit at the Track Cycling Challenge in Switzerland in December 2024, and at the UCI Track Nations Cup in Turkey in mid-March 2025.

The 33-year-old Phillip showed he still has plenty of energy left in his legs after surprisingly setting a new personal best time of 9.443 seconds in the opening round of men’s sprint qualification (flying 200m) at the Nations Cup.

Phillip is a former multiple national sprint champion and an ex-Pan American record holder. He represented TT in the men’s sprint and keirin at the 2012 Olympic Games in London placing fourth and seventh respectively.

Four years later, at the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, he finished 13th in the sprint.

Since his departure from competition, Phillip launched his cycling club Just Living Daily (JLD) Cycling Academy and has since produced TT’s fastest female on two wheels, Makaira Wallace, who won two medals at World Junior Champs last year.

When asked if cycling fans could expect a career revival from the talented Siparia native, Phillip said he missed the adrenaline on the track.

“I always missed cycling and competition. When I started coaching my team, they inspired me to get involved again, and just riding and teaching them gave me the spark again. And I just started training with them as a group which influenced the return,” he said after the Nations Cup.

Phillip said he’s also been selected to represent TT at the Elite Pan American Track Cycling Championships from April 1-7 in Paraguay although the TT Cycling Federation is yet to confirm a national team for the regional tourney.

Phillip has already been reaping rewards of his hard work as a coach, having tailored Wallace to two silver medal performances at last year’s UCI Junior Track World Championships and a silver and bronze medal at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games.

Additionally, she also set a new national women’s sprint flying 200m record by clocking 10.784 seconds at the Nations Cup.

Former JLD Academy representative Syndel Samaroo also earned keirin bronze at the Commonwealth Youth Games under Phillip’s guidance.

On his stint as coach, in which he believes his future lies, Phillip wants to keep churning out and developing new cycling talent for international representation.

“My 2025 goal is to continue to work with my team and develop new prospects. It’s great to see Makaira progress over the past two years, she is very committed and passionate about cycling, her consistency and hard work is showing in her times,” he added.