Trinidad and Tobago’s cycling team has made an impressive mark at the Bolivarian Games in Ayacucho-Lima, Peru, with standout performances from Nicholas Paul and Makaira Wallace. On December 2, Paul secured the country’s first gold medal by dominating the men’s sprint event at the Costa Verde Pan-American Complex in Lima.
Paul faced Colombian competitor Kevin Quintero in the final, defeating him in consecutive rides to claim victory. This triumph followed his exceptional qualifying round on December 1, where he posted the fastest time of 9.686 seconds. Colombian cyclists Cristian Ortega and Quintero recorded the next best times of 9.955 and 9.997 seconds respectively.
Paul’s path to gold included quarterfinal success against Chile’s Robert Castillo and a semifinal advancement due to the disqualification of Venezuela’s Alberto Torres. Quintero also progressed by overcoming his compatriot Ortega.
Meanwhile, rising star Makaira Wallace contributed to Trinidad and Tobago’s medal count with a bronze in the women’s keirin on December 1. Wallace finished second behind Colombia’s Juliana Rendon in her classification ride to reach the final, where she claimed third place behind gold medalist Stefany Cuadrado of Colombia and Venezuela’s Jalymar Rodriguez.
Wallace continued her strong form on December 2, qualifying third fastest in the women’s sprint with a time of 11.273 seconds. Colombian cyclists Cuadrado and Luna Alvarez led qualifying with times of 10.722 and 11.238 seconds respectively. Wallace then defeated Venezuela’s Carleany Martinez in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals.