T&T's cyclists Nicholas Paul and Kwesi Browne seem to be on the verge of qualification to the Olympic Games in Tokyo Japan later this year.
Despite a not-too-impressive overall performance at the UCI World Cup in Canada last month, Paul and Browne have risen to comfortable positions which will require decent performances at the World Championships in Berlin, Germany, February 26 to March 1, to secure their places.
A release from the T&T Cycling Federation on Monday states that Browne's 10th-place finish in the Keirin event at Milton has now placed him in an overall UCI world ranking of 5th position over the six World Cups this season. However, the country's Olympic Ranking is 12th overall.
Paul, on the other hand, was 17th in Milton after he was booted out in the first round of the qualifiers for the match-sprint. However, it was sufficient to propel him to 8th position overall in the world rankings. T&T is ranked 17th overall in the sprint and cannot qualify for the Olympic as a team.
The cyclists have now switched their focus to the world championships and the Olympics, and from the involvement of the cycling federation, the riders will continue their preparations at the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Switzerland under the guidance of coach, Scotsman Craig Maclean.
Maclean, according to the TTCF, is an accomplished track coach at the UCI World Cycling Centre, with achievements that include- 15 World Championships (Including 1 BMX), two Olympics, two Paralympics and four Commonwealth Games.
The Scotsman is also a silver medallist in 2000, while his broad experience and understanding of performance development that is required for success at the highest level as both a rider and coach, has enabled him to coach cyclist.
The T&T team will wing out today for the cycling centre, before travelling to the World Championships. The management team comprises manager David Francis, mechanic Elisha Greene and physiotherapist Derek Ashby, all of whom will join the team in Berlin.