Paul led the tiny Caribbean island nation to victory in the team sprint on Thursday and two days later was back in the saddle powering his way to the top of podium in what was a high speed cat and mouse battle with team mate Njisane Phillips.
Trinidad and Tobago have claimed four medals in Lima with three of them coming at the Velodromo Villa Deportivo Nacional, including the two golds. While Paul has been making headlines back home, he does not expect to supplant former 200 metres world champion Boldon any time soon.
“Ato Boldon is a sprinter and I am track cycling sprinter so it is two different things,” Paul said as he waited to receive what would be just the 13th gold medal ever won by Trinidad and Tobago at a Pan Am Games. “I don’t know why we have great sprinters I’m just happy we keep producing them.”
For a country that has a strong sprinting and cricketing pedigree but little in the way of a cycling culture, it has been a remarkable few days for Trinidad and Tobago at the velodrome. Halfway through the programme, the Caribbean nation finds itself second in the medal standings and battling the US for top spot.
Paul was at a loss to explain how his little country had become a regional track cycling power. “I got an injury and just started cycling for recovery and fell in love with it,” the 20-year-old shrugged. Although Trinidad now has a velodrome, part of Paul’s training involves getting out on the roads on an island that is only 59km (37 miles) wide. “I live a 24/7 athlete lifestyle,” smiled Paul, setting his next target of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. “As a track cyclist I don’t do long, long rides but we do enough road riding.”
US, Canada need to open
eyes to Pan Am Games
The United States and Canada need to open their eyes to what is happening outside their own borders if the Pan American Games is to get the kind of attention it deserves, the secretary general of Panam Sports said on Saturday.
Labelling the Lima Games as the greatest ever, Panam secretary general Ivar Sisniega said the lack of interest for the two-week multi-sport event in North America was because of narrow thinking. “If you think the American continent is just USA and Canada then you’re right there is (a lack of interest),” Sisniega said. “Some countries... maybe need to open up to what happens in the world and not be so involved with what just happens (at home).”
Sisniega pointed out that considering 6,600 athletes from 41 countries are competing in Lima, the region is more than just the US and Canada. But even a quick glance at the medal table on Saturday reveals how significant the US(108) and Canadian (64) participation is as the two nations have won a combined total of 172 medals. Despite being one-two on the medals table — when total number of medals won by each country are taken into account — the event is largely ignored by mainstream media in both countries. Canadian Press has sent one reporter and a photographer to provide on site coverage while the country’s national broadcaster CBC is live streaming the Games but has no on air programming planned.
Coverage by US outlets is equally thin with no major newspapers accredited and broadcast rights holder ESPN focusing on Spanish language content. It is not just the media but athletes themselves, who in many cases, have made the Pan Ams a low priority. Competitions have offered up a mixed bag in terms of quality.
Cuba sent a elite line-up of world and Olympic champions into the boxing ring and took eight golds, a silver and bronze from 10 weight classes in the men’s competition. The only gold won by the US was in the women’s competition thanks to Oshae Jones. The US will send out mostly B teams when the athletics and swimming races get underway next week but are still expected to dominate both competitions.
Over the two weeks athletes are competing in 39 sports, many of which offer qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, something Sisniega says the Panam Sports Organisation needs to do a better job in selling.
