Trinidad and Tobago ace cyclist Nicholas Paul fought valiantly in the second leg of the UCI Track Champions League at the Omnisport Apeldoorn, Netherlands on November 29, and he earned a second-place finish in the men's sprint final after a brilliant showing in the semis.
After upstaging then Champions League sprint leader Matthew Richardson (64 points) in the semis, Paul was outgunned by Olympic champion Harrie Lavreysen in the final. Cycling before his home fans, Lavreysen left little to chance against the former world record holder as he dominated the race from start to finish to go atop the leaderboard with 71 points. Paul maintained third position and pushed his tally to 58 points.
In the semis, Paul caught his competitors by surprise as he made an early move which proved decisive as he sprinted some distance clear of the two cyclists and maintained his poise to win by a massive margin.
Lavreysen didn't have it all his way in Apeldoorn as he was beaten by Colombian Cristian Ortega in a gripping keirin final, with Paul finishing in third.
Round three of the Champions League will be held in Apeldoorn on November 30.
At the first leg in France on Noevmber 23, Paul placed third and fifth in the sprint and keirin events respectively.
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