Kwesi Browne doubled up last night in Caribbean Track Cycling Championships at the National Cycling Centre (NCC) in Balmain, Couva by winning the keirin final to confirm him as king of the sprints in the region.
His triumph in the keirin added to the match sprint title he won on Saturday night and the team sprint gold medal he claimed on the opening day. Browne also copped silver in the men's elimination race earlier in the afternoon session yesterday.
In a hotly contested final, Browne made sure after the bell lap by sprinting well ahead of the field for the gold medal. He was followed in second position by Cuban Lasada Garcia and third Lamin Wright of Jamaica.
T&T's Samuel Meloney was also crowned the junior regional keirin champion as he got the edge in an all-T&T affair for the gold medal. Raul Garcia secured the silver medal for second and Jarel Mohammed was third.
Meanwhile, T&T's Tariq Wood's sprinted to the gold medal in the Elite Men's Kilometre Time Trial, to add another trophy to his cabinet. Woods got the better Rolando Mendez of Cuba, taking the silver medal and Malik Reid, who secured the bronze.
His compatriot Phoebe Sandy was also at her absolute early yesterday, but inexperience prevented her from what could have been a gold medal in the match sprint.
Early in the flying 200 metres, Sandy produced a scorching 11.648 seconds to set a new national record in the event, which consequently earned her a qualifying berth in the match sprint that followed.
But later in the final, however, she failed to create the fireworks expected against Jamaican Dahlia Palmer, going down in two straight rides to settle for the silver medal.
Palmer, coached by former T&T Cycling Federation president Robert Farrier, proved her worth with two brilliant performances to hold off the Trinidadian for the gold medal.
Taking the track early yesterday morning for the qualifiers, Sandy, who failed to medal the day before in the Elimination Race at the same venue, produced a blistering 11.648 for the fastest time amongst the sprinters.
She held off the experienced Jamaican who had set a time of 11.687 for the second-fastest time on the day, with Suriname's Techana Dalger crossing the finish line at 11.701, while another T&T rider Adrianna Seyjagat stormed home in 13.061 for the fourth-fastest time.
The quartet later advanced to the semifinal where Sandy got the better of her compatriot Seyjagat in straight rides for her final berth. Palmer was also unbeaten in her two rides in the other semifinal contest to book a showdown with Sandy in the final.
Browne, chasing his second gold medal to add to the match sprint title he won the day before, was beaten by Barbados' Jamol Eastman in a dash to the finish in the final of the Elite Men's Elimination Race.
The T&T sprinter showed courage to be among the final two riders after a string of eliminations, but he appeared too exhausted to beat the recognised Barbadian endurance rider in the final drive to the finish line, thereby having to settle for the silver medal.
T&T's Enrique De Comormand took the bronze medal in the event.