All hail the new cycling queen of the Caribbean, Teniel Campbell! What a phenomenal feat by this young 22-year old who has officially qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. I have already, in previous articles, professed my love for cycling when I recalled living T&T legend, Roger Gibbon; he took on the world at the now-defunct grass cycling track in the Queen’s Park Oval. We have produced many world-class male cyclists from even before Gibbon’s time and certainly since his time. At the moment, young Nicholas Paul continues to shine on the world stage but never before in my memory have we produced a female cyclist of such international class quite like that of Teniel Campbell.
I first took notice of her about 18 months ago and I asked some officials in the cycling federation who is this young woman? Is she a flash in the pan or the real deal? They quickly told me that her talent is full of potential so I immediately started to follow her career, but to be honest, I never envisaged that she would have reached where she is today so quickly. To become the first female cyclist from the English-speaking Caribbean to qualify for the Olympics is, in itself, nothing short of sensational, but to do it in about 2 years from when her journey first started is indescribable. I have never met Teniel Campbell but having seen her ride, reading and watching her interviews and speaking to cycling officials, it is evident that she is well-known in T&T and has her wheels firmly positioned on the cycling track.
Teniel is described as tall and leggy but let us forget how tall she is and if she is leggy, rangy and has broad shoulders, what strikes me most about this young woman is her mind. She appears to have a mind of concrete, knows exactly what she wants and how she can go about getting it. Her dedication to cycling is unquestionable. She comes from a sporting family background which is of tremendous value to any young athlete wanting to escalate to the international scene. However, as we all know the familiar saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. In other words, Teniel points to help she would have received from her manager and her family, but if she did not aim to reach the pinnacle of success, she would have gone nowhere. I am sure many of you have seen wonderful and talented athletes fall by the wayside because they lack the type of discipline, tenacity and dedication that Teniel has remarkably shown.
With success, Teniel now has to deal with a different type of problem. In our country, we sadly wait until someone becomes a star before we help them or believe in them. In Teniel’s case, I expect it would have been worse as I can just hear some of the detractors, “A female cyclist? Where is she going?” In other sports, it might be slightly different as you may see the promise in a youngster from early on, but why should it be any different in women’s cycling? I know a Teniel Campbell does not come along every day but if we take a little more time to invest in our promising youths, we may find that we can produce more international athletes than in years gone by. I expect the very same people who turned down her sponsorship requests at the start of her journey must be breaking down her door with all types of offers to be associated with her going forward.
It is very easy for herself and her management team to be upset and hurt to recall when times were hard and funding was not available, those who turned their backs on her and those very same people are now lining up to be involved with her in some way. She now needs to be strong and do what is best for her career. Forget the past as it is time to move on. She is at the top of her game and naturally with the 2020 Olympics on the horizon, the hard work has now started as she is going to compete with the best cyclists on the planet. She must be 150% ready physically and mentally so please, accept whatever offers come her way that will genuinely assist her to achieve her goal and do her best at the games.
Teniel, over the next year, has to concentrate on cycling while her management team deals with the business aspect of her brand because that is what she has become - a brand. I hope her management team does not get carried away and ensures that she gets the best deals and it has to be a win-win situation both for a sponsor and for Teniel. In joining the Valcar Cylance Cycling in 2020 and in addition to local offers, many international offers are going to come along. It is going to be tedious over the next few months, but let us hope in the end all the right decisions are taken for Teniel.
You see, Teniel Campbell has not only shown what our young athletes can achieve when they put their heart and mind to a task; she has opened a massive door for all young, budding sportswomen especially female cyclists in this country, to believe in themselves and in their ability to become better athletes, and by extension better citizens of T&T.
Editor’s note
The views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and do not reflect the views of any organisation of which he is a stakeholder.