Njisane quitting is ‘sad’ for Caribbean

The 25-year-old Siparia native failed to advance in the Men’s sprint and has decided to end his international career but Hartwell, who coached the cyclist before an unceremonious departure under then Sports Minister Anil Roberts, believes Phillips is needed to take the sport forward. Hartwell aided Phillip in his preparation with Team Canada for five months and has still maintained an unofficial mentorship presence in the cyclist’s career - even in Rio - praising him for reaching that far without official coaching.

Hartwell also touted the new Cycling Velodrome in Trinidad as essential to grooming and enhancing the current crop of local talent.

“Njisane proved that he is one of the best in the world. The guy is so incredibly talented! If he truly decides to retire, it will be a sad day for cycling, not only in Trinidad, but the Caribbean community.

Seeing TTO flash up on the screen amongst the juggernauts of the sport was amazing for me! I can only imagine young people back home taking such pride in knowing that, ‘if Njisane can do it for us, maybe I can, too!’ “He’s important for the sport. I do not want to see him retire out of simple frustration. Now, imagine what can happen with improved support back home. Imagine being able to prepare in one’s own house with dedicated personnel all committed to Trinidad’s success. Again, the new track provides that footing - the right people in coaching, sports science, strength and conditioning, nutrition, etcetera,” said Hartwell as he touched on the drama that has surrounded the local cycling federation and its cyclist.

Phillip clocked a blistering personal best 9.813 in round one which was loudly cheered on by the Canadian sprint camp in Rio.

He fizzled out in the round of 32 and repechage at Rio but Hartwell stressed how competitive the field was with riders locked into structured programmes for years prior. “Riding a strong time trial is possible without the coach track-side as it’s predicated on the months of work that was done in advance. There are no tactics in play. If you look around, track cycling is so competitive that it’s very difficult to win or compete with a structured system supporting the athletes.

“In J’s (Njisane) case, he needed a dedicated sprint coach on hand to provide the critical tactical and strategic support. Njisane proved he’s as fast as anyone. Nevertheless, doing it without strong at- Games support was always going to be difficult. I think (mechanic) Elisha (Greene) and Varun (Maharaj, soigneur) did a phenomenal job of managing the admin and logistics of the process. Unfortunately, they still needed that critical other person in the pits to guide Njisane forward,” he said.

“I am incredibly proud of Njisane’s efforts in the build up to these Games. His personal-best 200m time trial that placed him sixth in the most competitive Olympic sprint tournament in history is testament to his focus, fortitude, and commitment to excellence. I’ve watched him grind mercilessly for the past five months up in Canada, working his butt off alongside our crew, always bringing a positive vibe to our camp. Having Njisane around our team has been good for us.” Hartwell maintained that he would be willing to return in the future to help nurture the local cyclists but admitted that a lot of work needs to be done to improve this process.

“I have a great position in Canada.

It’s one of the best organisations I’ve ever worked for and they’re rock solid in their support of our programmes and develop towards Tokyo 2020. That said, I am married to a Trini, my daughter is Trini; Trinidad is home to me. I’d love to eventually get back and contribute positively to the sport and country so dear to my heart. I have many friends in the cycling and sports community from Trinidad. I will say that the new velodrome and strong cycling community have the potential to do what Jamaica has done in the sprints in athletics - dominate! The talent pool in Trinidad is immense, so much potential.

The new track is a game changer,” added Hartwell.

He advised the powers that be not to let the new track go to waste as he believes cyclists in TT are ready for that next step, which is why Phillip needs to be leading the charge.