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TRINIDAD and Tobago cyclist Nicholas Paul will be eyeing a medal in the men's sprint event at the 2023 Pan American Games at the Velodromo Penalolen in Santiago, Chile, on Thursday.
Paul, the world record holder in the event, booked a place in the semi-final with a win over Colombian Cristian Ortega on Wednesday in the quarter-finals. Paul will compete in the semi-finals which starts at 10.11 am, TT time.
Paul is a former Pan Am champion after defeating fellow TT cyclist Njisane Phillip in the final at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. History was created that night as it was the first time two TT cyclists competed against each other in a final at an international meet.
Suriname cyclist Jair Tjon En Fa, who is a training partner of Paul, was one of the other riders who sealed a spot in the semi-finals with a strong performance on Wednesday.
Paul sizzled for the entire day, breaking the Pan Am Games record in the qualification round with a time of 9.574 seconds. Paul stunned the 19-man field in the qualification round with his record-breaking ride. Paul's world record is 9.100, achieved in 2019 in Bolivia.
Canada's Nicholas Wammes (9.689 seconds) clocked the second-fastest time in qualification on Wednesday, and Tjon En Fa (9.703 seconds) had the third-best time. TT's Kwesi Browne clocked a time of 10.073 seconds which placed him 11th overall.
In the 1/8 finals, Paul sped past Mexican rider Terran Ruiz to clinch heat one and book his spot in the quarter-finals. In heat two of the 1/8 finals, Browne couldn't get past Wammes and also had an unfortunate crash on the track in his race against the Canadian cyclist. However, Browne dusted off himself and contested the second repechage heat, where he placed second behind Colombian cyclist Fontalvo Ortega and failed to progress.
Paul's performance on Wednesday would have made amends for a disappointing sixth-place finish in the men's team sprint on Tuesday. Paul, Browne and Zion Pulido missed out on the medal rounds after clocking 44.887.
In field hockey, the TT men lost 6-1 to the US in preliminary Group B action. Teague Marcano got the consolation goal for the TT stickmen in the fourth quarter.
The TT women's hockey team will be in action on Thursday in Group A of preliminary play at 10.30 am against the US.

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