Sprinter Michelle-Lee Ahye and cyclist Nicholas Paul added to their accomplishments the First Citizens Sportswoman of the Year and Sportsman of the Year Awards at the 61st annual function at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.
It was the 31-year-old Ahye fourth win having previously captured the award in 2016, 2017, and 2018, and for the 25-year-old Paul, it was the third such honour as he also won the prestigious award in 2019 and 2021. With her win, Ahye now has the second most First Citizens Sportswoman of the Year wins, one behind Cleopatra Borel who is the record awards winner with five following triumphs in 2002, 2007, 2010, 2014 and 2015. Ahye is now equal to former badminton champion Debra O’Connor (1983, 1986, 1990, and 1993) and swimmer Siobhan Cropper (1994, 1997, 1998, 1999).
Veteran track athlete Ahye earned a bronze medal in the women’s 100-metre dash at the 2023 Pan Am Games as she clocked 11.53 seconds to finish behind gold medal winner, Cuba’s Yunisleidy Garcia (11.36) and Jasmine Abrams of Guyana, who clocked 11.52 seconds.
Ahye also got to the 100 metres semifinals at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, and on local soil winning the women’s 100m title at the NAAA Championships at Hasely Crawford Stadium in Trinidad.
Last year, Paul battled his way back from severe injury with a stunning display at the UCI Nations Cup event in Milton, Canada where he pedalled his way to the men’s Match Sprint gold medal and also earned the bronze medal in the Keirin bronze.
Then at the Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile, Paul won the gold in the Match Sprint and silver in the Keirin before he won the double at the Pan Am Track Championships, achieving victories in the Match Sprint and Keirin events while leading the T&T team which also included Zion Pulido and Kwesi Browne to a second-place in the Team sprint.
At the UCI Track World Championship in Glasgow, Scotland, Paul had to settle for the silver medal in Match Sprint final while at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) in San Salvador, Paul claimed the individual Sprint title beating countryman Browne in the final while in the Team Sprint, the duo and Pulido got bronze. The Sports Awards function honored the outstanding achievements of some 100-plus athletes who demonstrated unparalleled skill, dedication, and sportsmanship across various disciplines in 2023.
