Trinidad and Tobago’s cycling team opened its first UCI Class 1 meet of the year in emphatic fashion on Friday night, producing two gold medal performances at the Copa Chile de Ciclismo de Pista #1 in Santiago.
Sprint standouts Makaira Wallace and Njisane Phillip led the charge at the Velodromo de Peñalolén, each climbing to the top of the podium in commanding style, while endurance specialist Teniel Campbell added a silver medal to cap an impressive evening for the twin-island republic.
Wallace surges to keirin crown
Makaira Wallace ignited Trinidad and Tobago’s medal run with a composed and explosive performance in the women’s keirin final.
Wallace outpaced a competitive field to secure gold ahead of Chile’s Daniela Colilef, who finished with silver, while Colombia’s Luna Alvarez claimed bronze.
Host nation rider Paula Molina narrowly missed the podium in fourth place, followed by Argentina’s Valentina Mendez in fifth. Colombia’s Marianis Sanchez completed the six-rider final.
The victory marked a strong international statement from Wallace as Trinidad and Tobago began the new track cycling season against elite regional competition.
Phillip dominates sprint competition
Not long after Wallace’s triumph, Njisane Phillip delivered gold number two for Trinidad and Tobago with a flawless run through the men’s individual sprint competition.
Phillip sealed the title by defeating Colombia’s Cristian Ortega in straight rides during the final, showcasing the experience and speed that have long made him one of the Caribbean’s premier track cyclists.
Spain’s Esteban Sanchez secured the bronze medal after overcoming Brazil’s Joaoa Vitor Da Silva.
Phillip’s route to gold was equally commanding.
In the semi-finals, he brushed aside Sanchez in straight rides after earlier defeating Argentina’s Tiago Rivera in the quarter-final round. His dominance began from the opening stage of competition, where he topped the qualification standings with the fastest flying 200-meter time of 0.772 seconds before dispatching Chile’s Nicolas Vergara.
Campbell adds silver in endurance battle
While the sprinters delivered gold, Teniel Campbell ensured Trinidad and Tobago also featured prominently in the endurance events.
Campbell earned silver in the women’s omnium after a tightly contested battle with Chilean rider Maite Ibarra.
Ibarra finished atop the standings with 132 points, edging Campbell, who accumulated 127. Another Chilean competitor, Scarlet Cortes, captured bronze with 122 points.
Canada’s Kimberly Chen ended fourth on 119 points, while Trinidad and Tobago’s Alexi Ramirez secured fifth with 106 points in another encouraging showing for the national program.
Momentum building early in the season
The performances in Santiago provide an encouraging start to the international campaign for Trinidad and Tobago’s cyclists as they begin another crucial season on the global calendar.
With two gold medals and a silver already secured, the team heads into the final day of competition carrying momentum and confidence at one of the region’s key UCI events.
