National cyclists Nicholas Paul and Kwesi Browne advanced to the men’s keirin quarter-finals on Saturday. The pair will ride at about 9.29 pm and 9.34 pm respectively for a spot in the semi-finals.

During the opening round of qualifying on Saturday, Browne placed third in heat one behind French winner Rayan Helal and second placed German Maximilian Levy.

Browne did not automatically advance and was forced to contest the repechage round in a final effort to qualify. There, he topped the field and secured a berth in Saturday night’s quarter-final.

Additionally, Paul placed second in heat three and booked an automatic spot in the next round. He finished behind heat winner Mohd Azizulhansi Awang (Malaysia).

[caption id="attachment_905822" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Jean Spies of Team South Africa and Nicholas Paul of Team Trinidad And Tobago, left, compete during the track cycling men's keirin race at the 2020 Olympics, on Saturday, in Izu, Japan. AP PHOTO -[/caption]

Paul lines up in heat two of the semi-finals against a tough field of five other riders, inclusive of Great Britain’s Jack Carlin and Levy.

Browne, who rides in heat three, will also face an uphill task as he goes up against Russian Denis Dmitriev – who eliminated Paul in the men’s sprint – German Stefan Boetticher, Awang, Japan’s Yuta Wakimoto and Australian Matthew Glaetzer.

The pair of riders remain as TT’s final hopes of an Olympic medal at the Tokyo Games.

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