walter.alibey@guardian.co.tt
Cyclist Teniel Campbell returned to the UCI World Cycling Centre in Agile, Switzerland on Monday, with intentions of qualifying for the Olympic Games in Tokyo Japan and securing a professional contract with a cycling team on the World Tour.
The lanky 21 year old who rose to fame with a historic string of performances at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games in July, where she copped four medals; three bronze and one gold in the Scratch, the Omnium, the individual pursuit and the road race, respectively, has less than a year in to make her dream come through- (October 10, 2018- October 10, 2019).
The unranked TT rider will attempt to garner valuable UCI points if she is to earn an Olympic qualifying berth in the Kilometre Time Trial and the Road Race.
Her stint at the UCI centre for the past seven months has helped her develop her skill among the main peloton and has also enabled her to read races better.
But she now faces the reality of a long, difficult season in which she must finish among the top 100 cyclists in both the time trial and the road race to be the first TT women rider to earn an Olympic spot. And despite not having a single point to her name as yet, she intends to stay positive.
"I know whatever I check now will not be accurate or real because I have not started accumulating points as yet, so I would not beat-up or fight up with that ranking right now. When I start doing races, I would know how much work I will have to do," Campbell said, soon before whisked out for Switzerland.
Her Olympic campaign will begin at the Pan American Championship and the World Championship to be held later this year, and a top 10 finish in both events will be sufficient.
Apart from these events, however, Campbell can also secure crucial points at the UCI-sanctioned Class 1 and 2 at the Pan Am Games.
Labelled the first female Double Caribbean Women’s Road Champion, the first female CAC Gold Medal cyclist, and the first female cyclist to receive the Hummingbird Medal (Silver), Campbell intends to execute on what she learnt while at the UCI Centre, and hope it brings her the results she is hoping for.
Her desire to earn a pro contract will also become a reality once she qualifies for the Olympic Games, she believes.
