Sports
Jelani Beckles
VETERAN Trinidad and Tobago cyclist Njisane Phillip added another medal at the International Cycling Union’s Class Two event at the Sylvan Adams Velodrome in Bromont, Canada, as he pedalled to gold in the men’s keirin final on the second and final day of competition on January 7.
When the motorised scooter came off the track with three laps remaining, Phillip was in third position but seemed comfortable as he looked poised to make a move to the front.
Just before the penultimate lap began, Phillip went into gear two and never looked back.
The commentator knew Phillip had it in the bag, saying, “Bye-bye. Here we go. I will be writing you a cheque and a postcard from TT.”
When the final lap started, the TT cyclist had already opened up a healthy 20-metre lead.
The trailing riders narrowed the gap on Phillip, but the latter just held on to snatch the win.
Nick Wammes of Team Ontario almost had enough to catch Phillip, but had to settle for silver, just .040 of a second behind.
James Hedgcoock, also from Team Ontario, grabbed third spot.
Marius Belisle of Equipe du Quebec was fourth, Finnley Koller of Edge Cycling ended fifth and Cole Dempster of KW Cycling Academy rounded out the field in sixth place.
It was the second victory for Phillip at the games, as the two-time Olympian bagged gold in the men’s sprint earlier on January 7.
Phillip, 34, is still showing his class against many riders younger than him.
His JLD clubmate, Makaira Wallace, a rising talent in cycling, also enjoyed an impressive start to 2026, claiming bronze in the women’s keirin.
