Nicholas Paul

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.

T&T’s Olympic 4X400m metre relay team of Machel Cedenio, Jereem Richards, Dwight St. Hillaire and the late Deon Lendore, who won the Lytsra Lewis Award, were also recognized at the ceremony hosted by 2013 400m hurdles World Champion Jehue Gordon and aired on CNC3 Television in the twin-island republic.

Swimmer Nikoli Blackman was crowned the Youth Sportsman of the Year 2021 for the consecutive year while tennis player Jordane Dookie was selected as the Youth Sportswoman of the Year 2021 title. Meanwhile, the Jeffrey Stollmeyer Award went to The Tennis Association of Trinidad & Tobago for outstanding administrative work.

Overall, 46 of T&T’s top athletes were honoured during the ceremony for their outstanding achievements over the past year. The country’s Minister of Sport and Community Development Shamfa Cudjoe praised the awardees for what he described as their “unrelenting spirit, sense of pride and purpose, and the larger than life persona they exude every time they set out to represent the red, white and black.

“You are our true heroes, who serve as a symbol of hope, perseverance, courage and strength, not only to our youth but to our nation,” she said.

Chairman of the First Citizens Sports Foundation, Dr Terry Ali, echoed similar sentiments while adding that the Sports Foundation would continue with its collaborative work with key stakeholders to support the successful restart of sporting events in Trinidad and Tobago.

Karen Darbasie, Group Chief Executive Officer at First Citizens, expressed gratitude at being able to honour the country’s best athletes. “The First Citizens Sports Awards is yet another proud moment, not only for those being honoured but also for us, who have been privileged to uphold that responsibility of bestowing honour,” she said.

Among the youth finalists who received awards were Alan-Safar Ramoutar – Chess; Ryan D’Abreau – Cycling; Shakeem Mc Kay – Track & Field; Zara La Fleur – Chess; Janae De Gannes – Track & Field; and Natassia Baptiste – Volleyball.

Among the senior finalists were Nigel Paul – Boxing; Dylan Carter – Swimming; Andrew Lewis – Sailing; Teniel Campbell – Cycling; Kennya Cordner – Football; Felice Aisha Chow – Rowing, and Samantha Wallace – Netball.

The announcements were made at the 29th Annual TTOC Awards ceremony at Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain on Friday night.

It was Paul's third TTOC Sportsman of the Year award after winning the prize in 2019 and 2021.

The 25-year-old had a memorable year on the track with the highlight being at the 2023 International Cycling Union World Track Championships in Glasgow, Scotland in August where he earned a historic silver medal.

Paul, the world record holder in the individual men's sprint, had his hands full in the final as he was up against Dutch Olympic champion Harrie Lavreysen, who prevailed in consecutive rides to win his fifth straight World Championship title.

It was Paul's second World Championship silver after copping second in the 1K time trial event in 2021.

Later in 2023, Paul showed his class at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile defending the sprint title he won at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima. He and also bagged silver in the men's keirin.

Ahye, 31, who last won the Sportswoman of the Year award in 2021, was given the nod ahead of road cyclist Teniel Campbell.

One of the best moments of 2023 for Ahye was at the Pan American Games where she grabbed bronze in the women's 100-metre event in 11.53 seconds, her country’s only track and field medal at the games.

It was her second Pan Am medal after copping silver at the 2019 edition in Lima, Peru.

In 2023, Campbell became the first black woman to complete the Tour De France Femmes. She rode 960km over eight days during the event. Campbell was brought to tears during the feature address on Friday, recalling all the injuries she had to endure during the year.

It was no surprise that swimmer Nikoli Blackman won the junior sportsman of the year award.

Blackman, 18, splashed his way to a gold medal in the men's 50-metre freestyle event at the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships 2023 in Netanya, Israel in September.

Weeks before the World Junior Championships, Blackman thrilled his home supporters at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games held in T&T.

At the National Aquatic Centre in Couva, Blackman copped three gold medals as he ended the meet as T&T's best athlete.

The junior sportswoman of the year award went to track and field athlete Sanaa Frederick.

Frederick, who recently committed to the University of Georgia alongside her twin sister Sole, won one gold medal (Under-20 200m), two silver medals (Under-20 4x100m relay, Under-20 4x400m relay) and one bronze medal (Under-20 100m) at the Carifta Games in Bahamas.

At the Commonwealth Youth Games she copped two bronze medals in the women's 100m and 4x100m mixed relay.

It did not end there for Frederick as she earned a silver medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador in the women's 4x100m relay.

​The men's 3x3 basketball team of Moriba De Freitas, Chike Augustine and twin brothers Ahkeel and Ahkeem Boyd took home the sports personality of the year award. Cyclist Alexi Costa-Ramirez copped the future is female award and Paul also won the people's choice award.

Former TTOC president Brian Lewis received a special recognition for his role in TT winning the bid to host the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games.

Winning the Alexander B Chapman Award for contribution to sport and Olympism was swim coach Lorraine Boland Van Druten, who has decades of experience.

In the event, which was broadcast over video-conferencing platform Zoom, Paul and Ahye were named TTOC’s senior Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year respectively for 2021.

TTOC President Brian Lewis addressed the virtual audience before the distribution of awards.

“In 2021, our athletes showed that they faced their fears. They went to Tokyo and gave their best. They did not make excuses and of course, they showed emotional, physical, and mental stamina by facing their disappointments, their failures, their mistakes, and the criticism of those who weren’t in the arena; who didn’t have to overcome economic issues, lack of training issues, doubt issues, death in their families and close circles,” said Lewis.

“As we look forward to 2022, we are encouraged by the example and the discipline and resolve shown by team TTO at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the Junior Pan Am Games,” he added.

It was Ahye’s fourth time holding the title after winning from 2016-2018 while Paul received the award for the second time, his first coming back in 2019.

Paul, the current world-record holder in the Men’s flying 200m, earned the top male award based on his silver medal performance in the Men’s one-kilometre time-trial at the UCI Tissot World Track Cycling Championship in Roubaix, France, back in October.

He was also sixth in the Men’s Sprint at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Ahye was deemed the top female based on her ninth-place finish in the Women’s 100m at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she narrowly missed out on the final.

Swimmer Nikoli Blackman, a member of T&T’s teams at both the Pan Am Junior Games and Swimming World Championships (SC) this year, was named Junior Sportsman of the Year for the second consecutive year, and track and field athlete Rae-Anne Serville, now representing USC, was Junior Sportswoman of the Year.

Olympic long jump finalist and 2021 NCAA Heptathlon Champion at Texas A&M, Tyra Gittens, was named the Sports Personality of the Year and reacted to it on her Instagram page on Wednesday.

“Blessed to receive the Sports Personality award during the TTOC 27^th Annual Award Ceremony this evening. I can’t wait to represent TTO again next year,” she said.

West Indies senior women’s vice-captain Anissa Mohammed won the Future is Female award.

Though the likes of athletics stalwarts Keshorn Walcott, Jereem “The Dream” Richards, Michelle-Lee Ahye, and cyclist Nicholas Paul are experienced campaigners at the highest level, and know how to handle the heat of world class competition, it’s the heat off the track in the French capital is expected to pose a challenge.

However, TTOC president Diane Henderson, is not too concerned.

“In any country, we have always dealt with... when it was extremely cold in Lima, Peru, we had to go out and buy heaters, headwear and gloves, so it’s no different,” Henderson said during the team’s Puma Gear Reveal at TTOC’s headquarters, on Friday.

With the Games organisers taking an eco-friendly approach, the Olympic Village will not have air condition units. As such, some countries, including United States, will supply their own AC units in order to ensure the comfort of athletes as they strive for optimal performance.

Henderson pointed out that TTOC stands ready to provide the necessary assistance to meet the needs of the athletes.

“If the conditions are such, we would have to get fans or something in Paris to deal with that. We’re aware of it so we could always deal with that when we go. It has never been an issue when we have to go out and get stuff. Usually you have the assistants who would guide you effectively and say where we could get the necessary equipment,” she explained.

Sprinters Ahye and Elijah Joseph were among the athletes that modelled the new Team TTO uniforms on Friday, as they gear up for battle on the world’s biggest sporting stage.

“We have always wanted to do something to showcase the uniforms. It brings a lot of pride to the athletes and they feel really special. I think it went well. We’re always grateful to Puma for this sponsorship and partnership. It’s very important to have that support continuously for all our multi-sport Games,” Henderson noted.

Trinidad and Tobago Olympic squad: 

Athletics –Michelle-Lee Ahye - 100m & 4x100 relay; Leah Bertrand- 100m & 4x100 relay; Sole Frederick- 4x100 relay; Akilah Lewis- 4x100 relay; Sanaa Frederick - 4x100 relay (Reserve); Portious Warren- Shot Put; Keshorn Walcott- Javelin; Jereem Richards- 200m, 400m & 4x400 relay; Devin Augustine- 100m; Jaden Marchan- 4x400 relay; Shakeem Mc Kay- 4x400 relay; Renny Quow- 4x400 relay; Elijah Joseph- 4x400 relay (Reserve)

Cycling –Nicholas Paul, Kwesi Browne

Swimming –Dylan Carter - 50m and 100m Freestyle; Zuri Ferguson- Backstroke 100m

Under the programme, cyclist Nicholas Paul and sprinter Jereem Richards will be the primary beneficiaries as both men are responsible for the three gold medals the country won in Birmingham.

Paul won gold in the keirin, silver in the match sprint and bronze in the 1000m time trials and is set to receive TT$437,500 while Richards, who won the 200m title in a Games record 19.80 and anchored the country’s 4x400m relay to the gold medal is set to receive TT$375,000.

According to the Trinidad Guardian, athletes competing in relay team events will earn $125,000 each for a gold medal, $62,500 for silver and for bronze, $31,250. Individual gold medals get a whopping TT$250,000.

That means Dwight St Hillaire, Asa Guevara and Machel Cedenio will each get $125,000 and the members of the 4x100 metres team - Jerod Elcock, Eric Harrison Jnr, Kion Benjamin and Kyle Greaux - will each get $62,500 for their silver medal run.

Paul, who started his season with a series of unstoppable performances at the UCI Nation’s Cup in Milton Canada, as well as the ‘Speed Paradise’ and the Carnival of Speed events at the National Cycling Centre (NCC) in Balmain, Couva, all in April, followed that up with victory in the Men’s Elite Sprint at the International Cycling Union (UCI) Class One event in Germany recently.

The Trinidad and Tobago stalwart again placed his class on display at the PanAm Elite Track Cycling Championships in Argentina where he won the Sprints and Keirin, while clocking a new track record 9.349 seconds in the flying 200m.

Paul also joined forces with compatriots to place second in the Team Sprint and he rightly expressed delight at the accomplishments.

"Firstly, I would like to give God thanks because without him none of this would be possible. The Pan American Cycling champions in Argentina was a great experience, my races were well executed, and I am very happy with my performance," Paul told SportsMax.tv.

"It was also great to have my countrymen there with me and a great feeling to have won a team medal as well. Everyone on the team played their part, we performed accordingly and came out with a good result," he added.

While those performances represent a massive boost to his CAC Games charge and positions him to achieve other targets this year, the 24-year-old is by no means grandstanding against rivals in El Salvador.

"I am definitely pleased with another solid performance going into the CAC Games. It's all about trying to be consistent while working towards my ultimate goal which is Olympic Games qualification.

"But every event is different, and I am confident but not overconfident, so my plan presently is to just do my best for my country while taking things one competition at a time," he shared.

Though the mindset is always to improve on previous performances and that requires a holistic approach and a strategic vision of what he wants to achieve. 

"Presently I don’t have any planned changes to my programme for CAC Games, however, I’m always focused on getting better at my craft every day, therefore changes can be made accordingly, but we will see how that goes as time goes by," Paul said.

Paul, unquestionably the best rider in the Caribbean, finished behind Australia’s Matthew Richardson, who was 0.628 ahead of the gifted Trinidadian over the two races. Scotland’s Jack Carlin secured the bronze medal.

Paul won Trinidad and Tobago’s first medal at the championships with a dominating performance in the keirin on Saturday.

He won by 0.406s ahead of Carlin.

Malaysian Shah Sarhom was third 0.424 behind the winner.

Paul’s teammate Kwesi Browne finished sixth.

It was the third medal and a full set for the 23-year-old Paul, who won gold in the keirin on Saturday and silver in the individual pursuit on Sunday.

On Monday, he clocked 1:00.089, just behind the Australia pair of Thomas Cornish (1:00.036), who claimed the silver medal and gold medal winner Matthew Glaetzer (59.505).

Paul has now won all of Trinidad and Tobago’s medals at the Commonwealth Games.

After losing by four-thousandths of a second to three-time Olympic medallist, Englishman Jack Carlin in the 1/8 finals, the 25-year-old had to contest the 1/8 repechage against Australian speedster Leigh Hoffman and Japanese Yuta Obara.

"Jack Carlin is an experienced racer and it was a great race," Paul told Sportsmax after the repechage.

"Tactically, I think I played it out as best as I could and it just comes down to the line," he added. 

With the winner only progressing to the August 8 quarter-final round, Paul placed third and was eliminated, with Obara – whom Paul had beaten in the1/32 round – winning the repechage and advancing.

In the opening round of sprint qualifying earlier on, Paul advanced as the seventh fastest qualifier (9.371s) in the flying 200m after Australian Matthew Richardson (9.091s) and reigning Olympic sprint champion Harrie Lavreysen (9.088s) broke Paul’s world record in this event.

In the 1/32 finals, Paul left it late against Obara and edged him on the line for the win. He then defeated another Japanese cyclist, Kaiya Ota, in the 1/16 final, which set him up against Carlin in the 1/8 final.

Paul and fellow TT rider Kwesi Browne return to the National Velodrome track on Saturday for the opening round of men’s keirin qualification.

Paul, won heat five in tidy fashion to continue his hunt for an Olympic medal in the competition, which will conclude on Sunday, August 11.

Another Trinidad and Tobago representative, Kwesi Browne, finished third in heat four and failed to progress. He was given a second chance through the repechage round, but that race also ended in disappointment as he fell during the final lap and did not finish.

Meanwhile, Suriname's Jair Tjon En Fa also failed to make the most of his second chance in the repechage round, as he finished fourth in repechage heat three and failed to progress to the quarterfinals. He initially placed fourth in heat one of the preliminary round.

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.