Top things to know
- Kafele De Sormeaux finished 17th in qualifying with a 10.377‑second flying 200 m, Trinidad and Tobago’s best Junior World result
- He was eliminated in the 1/16‑final heat after losing to Belgium’s Mathis De Tollenaere by 0.291 seconds
- Cristian Nelson’s 32nd‑place qualifying run missed the top‑28 cut for the 1/16‑finals
According to the AMS report, Kafele De Sormeaux delivered Trinidad and Tobago’s best performance in the men’s sprint qualifying round at the 2026 UCI Junior Track World Championships in Belgium, clocking 10.377 seconds in the flying 200 m and averaging 69.384 km/h to finish 17th overall out of 42 riders.
De Sormeaux’s split times were 5.166 seconds for the first 100 m and 5.211 seconds for the second half, a pace that secured him a place in the 1/16‑final elimination round. The event’s format allows the top four qualifiers to advance directly to the 1/8 finals, while the remaining riders, including De Sormeaux, compete in the 1/16‑finals.
In Heat 12 of the 1/16‑finals, De Sormeaux faced Belgium’s Mathis De Tollenaere. De Tollenaere took control of the heat, finishing in 10.606 seconds, whereas De Sormeaux posted 10.897 seconds, 0.291 seconds slower, resulting in his elimination from the sprint competition.
Trinidad and Tobago’s other representative, Cristian Nelson, finished 32nd in qualifying with a 10.661‑second run at an average speed of 67.535 km/h, missing the top‑28 cut required to advance to the 1/16‑finals.
The championships, held in Belgium, marked a milestone for Trinidad and Tobago’s junior track program, with De Sormeaux’s performance setting a new national benchmark. The experience gained will be invaluable as the athletes prepare for future international competitions.