In a night of celebration and recognition, cyclist Nicholas Paul and sprinter Michelle-Lee Ahye emerged as the senior sportsman and sportswoman of the year, respectively, at the prestigious 61st edition of the First Citizens Sports Foundation Sports Awards and Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. The event, held at the Hyatt Regency in Port of Spain on Saturday night, honored the outstanding achievements of Trinidad and Tobago's finest athletes.
Nicholas Paul, 25, was lauded for his remarkable performances throughout 2023, culminating in a historic silver medal at the 2023 International Cycling Union World Track Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. As the world record holder in the flying 200m, Paul showcased his prowess on the global stage, demonstrating unparalleled speed and skill.
Adding to his accolades, Paul showcased his versatility and dominance at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, where he successfully defended his sprint title and secured silver in the men's keirin event. His stellar achievements solidified his status as one of the nation's premier cyclists, earning him the coveted senior sportsman of the year award.
Meanwhile, Michelle-Lee Ahye's exceptional year was highlighted by her outstanding performance at the Pan American Games, where she clinched bronze in the women's 100-metre event with a time of 11.53 seconds. Ahye's podium finish marked a significant milestone in her illustrious career and reaffirmed her status as TT's most elite women's sprinter.
Ahye's stellar track record includes a silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, further cementing her reputation as a force to be reckoned with in the world of sprinting. Her consistent excellence in local and international competitions earned her the esteemed title of sportswoman of the year.
Both Ahye and Paul were also honored with the 2023 TT Olympic Committee senior awards in December, further underscoring their exceptional contributions to Trinidad and Tobago's sporting legacy.
In addition to the senior awards, swimmer Nikoli Blackman and track and field athlete Janae De Gannes were recognized as the youth sportsman and sportswoman of the year, respectively. Blackman's stellar performance at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, where he secured three gold medals, showcased his immense talent and potential on the global stage.
Similarly, De Gannes' remarkable achievements, including a silver medal in the women’s long jump at the Commonwealth Youth Games and a record-breaking performance at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Games Under-18 meet, earned her well-deserved acclaim as a rising star in Trinidad and Tobago's sporting landscape.
As Trinidad and Tobago's sporting heroes continue to inspire and captivate audiences both at home and abroad, the First Citizens Sports Foundation Awards serve as a testament to their unwavering dedication, passion, and excellence in their respective fields.
Ja's Alana Reid strikes gold as BVI's Adaejah Hodge, Bajan Kishawna Niles complete Caribbean sweep of 100m final at World U-20 Champs
Jamaica's rising sprint sensation, Alana Reid, delivered a stellar performance to claim the women’s 100m gold in a Caribbean sweep of the podium at the World Under-20 Championships in Lima, Peru, on Wednesday.
Reid, who was a part of Jamaica’s relay team at the Paris Olympic Games, was always favoured as the class of the field, and she justified that favouritism with a storming run to earn Jamaica’s first medal of the five-day championships.
The 19-year-old’s win in 11.17s in a race that saw the Caribbean region dominate was a redemption of sorts, as she has upgraded her 200m bronze medal from the 2022 championships and once again underscored her status as one of the brightest young talents in Jamaican athletics.
Another young Olympian, Adaejah Hodge of the British Virgin Islands, closed fast to cop silver in 11.27s, while Barbadian Kishawna Niles took home the bronze in 11.37s.
Reid's gold medal was the culmination of a series of strong performances from the preliminary rounds, as she consistently demonstrated her composure under pressure and established herself as the athlete to beat.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Deandre Daley (10.33s) and Gary Card (10.44s) were beaten into fourth and sixth, respectively, in the men’s 100m final.
That race was won by South Africa’s Bayanda Walaza (10.19s), ahead of Thailand’s Puripol Boonson (10.22s) and another South African, Bradley Nkoana (10.26s).
Earlier, Trinidad and Tobago’s Janae De Gannes placed eighth in the women’s long jump final after mustering a best leap of 6.09m. Australia’s Delta Amidzovski (6.58m), American Sophia Beckmon (6.54m) and Poland’s Julia Adamczyk (6.34m) were the medal winners.
No Caribbean athlete made the men’s 400m final, as Jamaica’s Kemario Bygrave (47.56s) was fourth in semi-final one, while Trinidad and Tobago’s Jaden Clement failed to finish.
It was more of the same in semi-final two as Puerto Rico’s Jarell Cruz (47.26s) placed fourth, while Guyana’s Malachi Austin failed to finish.
Jamaica’s Shanque Williams, the Caribbean’s lone women’s semi-finalist, also missed out, as she placed seventh in her semi-final in 54.47s.
Elsewhere in the field, Brenden Vanderpool of the Bahamas, failed to progress to the men’s pole vault final after he placed 14th in Group A qualifying with a best clearance of 4.80m.
Dream on: Paul urges young T&T cyclists to keep pushing for Olympic feat as 2028 LA Games in sight
While looking ahead to possibly making another Olympic Games appearance in 2028 in Los Angeles, Trinidad and Tobago’s cycling stalwart, Nicholas Paul, is also hopeful that he will be able to share that occasion with a few more riders from the twin island republic.
Well aware of the depth of the talent that Trinidad and Tobago possesses, Paul, who relished a second-consecutive Olympic Games appearance at the just-concluded Paris showpiece, believes it is very much possible for those cyclists to also achieve their dreams of competing at the global multi-sport event.
The decorated Paul, who has numerous championship medals under his belt, and Kwesi Browne represented Trinidad and Tobago with much gusto and pride in Paris, as they gave their all on the track in both the sprint and keirin events, though both failed to make the finals.
“Team sprint, sprint, Keirin, team pursuit, I just want as many cyclists as possible to be able to make it on the Olympic stage,” Paul told the Express.
“It’s a big, big, big pool of talented young cyclists coming up. I have been trying to be a good role model for them, to let them know that they can come out here because the dream is possible. You just have to work hard. We can make a good driving force from juniors straight up to the elite,” he added.
Having contested both the Sprint and Keirin quarterfinals in Paris, Paul expressed an even deeper desire to improve his standards going forward, especially after watching Australian Matthew Richardson and Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen erase his previous world record of 9.100 in the flying 200 metres.
Lavreysen stopped the clock at 9.088 seconds, mere minutes after Richardson clocked 9.091 seconds.
“It (the quarterfinals) was not the outcome I wanted, but you live, you learn, and you come again. But I’m happy for Harrie. That was a great ride, and at the same time, it’s giving me more hunger to get back on that length to be able to break the world record and get that fast again,” Paul noted.
However, for now, the 25-year-old pointed out that the focus is on rest and recovery ahead of his next major assignment, the UCI Track World Championships scheduled for October 16-20 in Denmark.
“I think I’ll back off a bit, have a bit of a rest, and then go into Worlds. I’m really hungry, but at the same time, the build was until Paris. It was a bit stressful, so I have to ease off and then go into Worlds with as much form as possible,” Paul said.
On that note, Paul also expressed gratitude for the support from Trinidad and Tobago’s sporting enthusiasts, though some comments were not welcoming of the athletes’ overall efforts in Paris.
“I never think about the negatives because we could only work with the positives, and we have a lot of positives to work with. Moving forward, us athletes should come together and try to make Trinidad and Tobago better as a whole. Athletics, cycling, and every sport; to raise the level not only in Trinidad and Tobago, but in the Caribbean,” he ended.
T&T’s Nicholas Paul’s Olympic journey comes to an end in Men's Keirin at Paris 2024
Trinidad and Tobago’s Nicholas Paul saw his Olympic campaign come to an end on the final day of the 2024 Paris Games after finishing fifth in Heat 2 of the men's Keirin quarterfinals Sunday. His placement fell short of the top four qualifying spots needed to advance to the semifinals, bringing his journey at this year’s Olympics to a close.
The 25-year-old cyclist entered the Paris Olympics with high ambitions, fueled by an impressive track record that included a sixth-place finish in the sprint at Tokyo 2020 during his Olympic debut. Over the years, Paul has established himself as one of the world’s fastest cyclists, earning multiple accolades on the global stage.
Paul’s accomplishments are highlighted by his two silver medals at the World Championships—one in the sprint event in 2023 and another in the 1km time trial in 2021. Additionally, he made history for Trinidad and Tobago by winning gold in the Keirin at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, marking the nation's first cycling medal since 1966. His performance at those games also earned him a silver medal in the sprint and a bronze in the 1km time trial.
Beyond his medal haul, Paul holds the world record for the flying 200m sprint, a testament to his incredible speed and skill on the track. Although his Olympic journey in Paris ended earlier than hoped, Paul’s achievements and contributions to the sport remain significant, and he continues to be a source of pride for Trinidad and Tobago.
Paul will undoubtedly look to build on the lessons learned and continue striving for excellence in future competitions.
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