Paul wins silver at UCI World Cup and bronze in Keirin final

After a strong late-race surge, Nicholas Paul earned a bronze medal for Trinidad and Tobago in the men’s Keirin at the UCI Track World Cup in Nilai, Malaysia.

Paul briefly led in the final stretch. However, the Asian Games champion, Mohammed Azizulhasni Awang, overtook him to claim the gold medal, while Harrie Lavreysen of the Netherlands secured the silver medal.

The final also featured Japan’s Minato Nakaishi, Frenchman Rayan Helal, and German Henric Hackmann, adding further competitive depth to the race.

Meanwhile, Paul’s compatriot, Makaira Wallace, exited the women’s sprint in the 1/16 round after losing to Stefany Florez Cuadrado. Wallace had qualified last, clocking a time of 10.993 seconds.

A day later, Paul won his second medal of the UCI Track World Cup by securing the silver medal behind sprint ace Harrie Lavreysen in the men’s match sprint, with Azizulhasni Awang settling for the bronze medal.

No surprise, the trio of Harrie Lavreysen, Nicholas Paul, and Mohammed Azizulhasni Awang, who accounted for the top three places in the keirin, dominated the flying 200m sprint qualifiers, posting the three fastest times of 9.414, 9.464, and 9.601 seconds.

All three carried that form into the knockout rounds: Lavreysen, the world sprint champion, defeated Colombian David Ortega Fontalvo; Paul beat Rayan Helal; and Awang overcame Ruiting Huang of China. Each progressed through their heats to reach the final.