Sports
Jonathan Ramnanansingh
Phillip. –
JLD Cycling Academy riders Njisane Phillip and Makaira Wallace opened their 2026 campaign with medal performances on the final day of the International Cycling Union’s (UCI) Class Two event at the Sylvan Adams Velodrome in Bromont, Canada, on January 7.
After a full day of sprint racing, two-time Olympian Phillip showed he still had plenty left in the tank, powering to gold in the men’s sprint. His JLD club-mate Wallace also enjoyed a positive start to her new season, claiming bronze in the women’s keirin.
Phillip made a fiery start in the opening round (flying 200 metres) of the men’s sprint, clocking the fastest qualifying time of 9.974 seconds among 26 competitors. Only the top 16 advanced.
In the 1/8 final, Phillip pedalled to victory over Equipe du Québec’s Nicolas Tardif in the single-race matchup, before dispatching Tardif’s teammate Fergus Spitzley in consecutive rides of the quarter-finals. He continued his dominant run in the semi-finals, securing two more wins over KW Cycling Academy’s Cole Dempster to book a place in the final.
Team Ontario Ancaster’s James Hedgecock proved no match for the TT rider in the gold medal race, as Phillip claimed victory in both rides to seal the title.
Phillip later remained in contention for a second podium finish after advancing to the keirin semi-finals with a commanding performance in the opening round. Competing in heat two of four, he won the heat to automatically qualify for the semis.
Up to press time on January 7, he was scheduled to face Tardif, Hedgecock, Edge Cycling’s Finnley Koller, Québec’s Dionne Fortin and KW Cycling’s Tyler Rorke.
In the women’s keirin, Wallace rode strongly to bronze in a tightly contested final. After placing second behind Equipe du Québec’s Ely Savard in heat two of the opening round, Wallace advanced automatically to the 1–6 final. In the medal race, the rising speedster held her own against the other five finalists to secure third place in a high-tempo contest.
Gold went to Star Track’s McKenna McKee, with Savard taking silver. Wallace was unable to replicate that success in the women’s sprint, exiting in the quarter-finals. She qualified fifth overall in the flying 200 metres with a time of 11.277 seconds and progressed to the quarter-finals among the top eight riders. However, she lost both rides against McKee and was eliminated.
