Nicholas Paul

{{Infobox cyclist

| name = Nicholas Paul

| image = 2018 2019 UCI Track World Cup Berlin 053.jpg

| caption = Nicholas Paul in 2018

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|9|23|df=y}}

| birth_place = Gasparillo, Trinidad and Tobago

| height = 1.70 m

| weight = 75 kg

| discipline = Track

| role = Rider

| ridertype = Sprinter

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{TTO}}}}

}}

Nicholas Paul (born 23 September 1998) is a Trinidadian track cyclist, who specializes in sprinting events.{{cite web | url=http://www.cyclingarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=106364 | title=Nicholas Paul | work=Cycling Archives | accessdate=14 March 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.eurosport.de/bahnradsport/nicholas-paul_prs528085/person.shtml|title=Nicholas Paul|work=Eurosport|access-date=3 November 2021}} He competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Men's keirin on 11 August 2024.

Career

On 6 September 2019, Paul set a flying 200m world record of 9.100 seconds at the Elite Pan American Track Cycling Championships in Coachabamba, Bolivia.{{cite news|last=Ali|first=Azad|date=27 September 2019|title=T&T cyclist shatters world record|url=https://www.caribbeanlifenews.com/stories/2019/10/2019-09-27-azad-tt-cyclist-shatters-world-record-cl.html|url-status=dead|work=Caribbean Life|location=New York|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927005231/https://www.caribbeanlifenews.com/stories/2019/10/2019-09-27-azad-tt-cyclist-shatters-world-record-cl.html|archive-date=27 September 2019|access-date=1 August 2021}} The previous record of 9.347 seconds by France's Francois Pervis had stood since 2013.{{cite web| url=https://www.uci.org/docs/default-source/about--discipline/about-track-cycling/men-elite-world-records.pdf?sfvrsn=244fc916_28|title=Union Cycliste Internationale – Men Elite – World Records|publisher=Union Cycliste Internationale|date=5 December 2020|accessdate=1 August 2021|format=PDF}}

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, in the quarterfinals of the sprint competition, Paul won his first ride against Denis Dmitriev (ROC) but was disqualified in the second ride for not holding his line in the final sprint. Paul went on to lose the third ride controversially when Dmitriev cut in front of him in the sprinter's lane but the appeal from the Trinidad & Tobago Olympic Committee was denied.{{Cite web|date=6 August 2021|title=Paul's Olympic medal hopes ends with violation call|url=https://newsday.co.tt/2021/08/06/pauls-olympic-medal-hopes-ends-with-violation-call/|access-date=30 November 2021|website=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday|language=en-US}}

In September 2021, Paul participated in the UCI Track Nations Cycling Cup, coming away with triple Golds in the Kilo Time Trial, Keirin & Sprints.{{Cite web|title=2021 Tissot UCI Track Cycling Nation Cup – Cali – Men's 1Km Time Trial- {{!}} Tissot Timing|url=https://www.tissottiming.com/2021/nciii/en-us/default/Stage/1/Results/2|access-date=30 November 2021|website=www.tissottiming.com|language=en-us}}{{Cite web|title=2021 Tissot UCI Track Cycling Nation Cup – Cali – Men's Keirin- {{!}} Tissot Timing|url=https://www.tissottiming.com/2021/nciii/en-us/default/Stage/4/Results/4|access-date=30 November 2021|website=www.tissottiming.com|language=en-us}}{{Cite web|title=2021 Tissot UCI Track Cycling Nation Cup – Cali – Men's Sprint- {{!}} Tissot Timing|url=https://www.tissottiming.com/2021/nciii/en-us/default/Stage/7/Results/6|access-date=30 November 2021|website=www.tissottiming.com|language=en-us}} In October of that year, Paul earned a silver in the Kilo Time Trial at the UCI World Championships.{{Cite web|title=HI-HO SILVER! Paul bags T&T's first 'Worlds' medal in 30 years|url=https://teamtto.org/index.php/ttoc/affiliates/cycling/8624-hi-ho-silver-paul-bags-t-t-s-first-worlds-medal-in-30-years|access-date=30 November 2021|website=Team TTO {{!}} Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee|language=en-gb}}

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Paul took gold in the keirin, beating Jack Carlin of Scotland and Shah Sahrom of Malaysia. His victory ended Trinidad and Tobago's 52-year wait for a medal in cycling at the Commonwealth Games.{{cite web |title=Paul pedals to historic Commonwealth keirin gold |url=https://newsday.co.tt/2022/07/30/paul-pedals-to-historic-commonwealth-keirin-gold/ |website=Trinidad and Tobago Newsday |date=30 July 2022 |access-date=30 July 2022}} He also won a silver medal in the sprint event.{{cite news |title=Cycling Track – Men's Sprint results |work=BBC Sport |date=31 July 2022 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/commonwealth-games/62368621 |access-date=3 August 2022}} He also won a bronze medal in the 1km Time Trial event.{{cite web |title=Cycling Track – Men's 1km Time Trial results |date= August 2022|url= https://newsday.co.tt/2022/08/01/paul-secures-commonwealth-bronze-in-time-trial/}}

Major results

;2015

:1st Kilometer, Junior National Track Championships

;2017

:1st Sprint, National Track Championships

:2nd 15px Team sprint, Pan American Track Championships (with Kwesi Browne & Njisane Phillip)

;2018

:Central American and Caribbean Games

::1st 15px Kilometer

::1st 15px Sprint

::1st 15px Team sprint (with Kwesi Browne & Njisane Phillip)

:Pan American Track Championships

::1st 15px Team sprint (with Kwesi Browne & Njisane Phillip)

::2nd 15px Sprint

::3rd 15px Kilometer

;2021

:UCI Nations Cup

::1st 15px Kilometer

::1st 15px Keirin

::1st 15px Sprint

: UCI World Track Championships

::2nd 15px Kilometer

::4th Keirin{{Cite web|title=After historic Worlds performance, Nicholas Paul hunts UCI Champions League success|url=https://teamtto.org/index.php/ttoc/affiliates/cycling/8635-after-historic-worlds-performance-nicholas-paul-hunts-uci-champions-league-success|access-date=30 November 2021|website=Team TTO {{!}} Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee|language=en-gb}}

;2022

:Commonwealth Games

::1st 15px Keirin

::2nd 15px Sprint

::3rd 15px 1km Time Trial

;2023

: 2nd 15px Sprint, UCI World Track Championships