T&T’s cycling star Nicholas Paul will pocket $437,500 for his amazing showing at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
Paul emerged from Birmingham 2022 with the most medals individually for T&T - three - a gold, a silver and a bronze; sprinter Jereem Richards claimed individual gold and another with the 4x400 metres relay team while the men’s 4x400m quartet copped a silver medal.
According to the Ministry of Sports National Incentives and Rewards Programme structure for individual awards for athletes (seniors) who have won medals will be presented with $250,000 for a gold, $125,000 for a silver and $62,500 for a bronze medal. Athletes who participate in relays events and are successful they will earn $125,000, $62,500 and $31,250, respectively for their performances. The relay amounts will be shared among the team members equally. A relay team comprises six members.
On July 30 at Lee Valley VeloPark in Stratford, Paul won the men’s keirin ($250,000) ahead of Scotland’s Jack Carlin earned silver for Scotland, 0.406 seconds behind the T&T cyclist, while Shah Sahrom of Malaysia stayed on for the bronze, 0.424 seconds behind. They were followed by Australian Matthew Richardson (+0.482 seconds), New Zealand’s Callum Saunders (+0.723) and T&T’s Kwesi Browne (+0.838).
A day later, Paul copped silver ($125,000) in the best-of-three men’s Match Sprint final, losing out to Australian Matthew Richardson in two straight rides. His bronze ($62,500) came in last Monday’s 1,000 metres time trial behind Australian Matthew Glaetzer (59.505 seconds) and his countryman Thomas Cornish (1:00.036), respectively.
Over the weekend, Richards continued where Paul left off claiming two gold medals defending his 200 metres title on Saturday and the following day when he led the 4x400m relay team to the top of the podium.
For his medal, Richards will collect a total of $250,000 from the national rewards and will share among teammates Dwight St Hillaire, Machel Cedenio and Asa Guevara $125,000 for relay gold.
On Saturday, Richards defended his 200m title which he won four years ago, crossing in a time of 19.80 seconds to beat England’s Zharnel Hughes who was second with 20.12. In third place was Joseph Amoah of Ghana in 20.49.
The following day, in an exciting 4x400m medal race, the local quartet clocked 3:01.29 to beat Botswana’s foursome of Leungo Scotch, Zibane Ngozi, Anthony Pesela and Bayapo Ndori to the line, who won silver in 3:01.85 while Kenya’s team of Wiseman Were Mukhobe, Mike Mokamba Nyangau, William Rayian and Boniface Ontunga Mweresa, bagged bronze in a new season’s best time of 3:02.41.
Also benefiting from the incentive payout also will be the 4x100m team of Jerod Elcock, Kion Benjamin, Eric Harrison Jr, Kyle Greaux, who copped silver and will share in the $62,500 reward.
The local sprint team with a season-best 38.70 followed to the line, the English team of Jona Efoloko, Hughes, Nethaneel Micthell-Blake and Ojie Edoburun with a season-best time of 38.35 and ahead of Nigeria (Udodi Onwuzurike, Favour Ashe, Alaba Akintola, Raymond Ekevwo) with 38.81.
Their efforts helped T&T place 15th on the medal table among the 72 countries that competed at the 22nd edition of the international multisport event.
Ministry of Sports Medal rewards
Nicholas Paul: $437,500 (gold - $250,000; silver - $125,000; bronze - $62,500)
Jereem Richards - Gold - $250,000
4x400m relay team - Gold - $125,000 (Jereem Richards, Dwight St Hillaire, Machel Cedenio, Asa Guevara, Che Lara, Kashief King)
4x100m relay team - Silver - $62,500 (Jerod Elcock, Kion Benjamin, Eric Harrison Jr, Kyle Greaux, Akanni Hislop)