Eugene "Gene” Samuel (born October 15, 1960) is a semi-retired

track cyclist Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using purpose-designed track bicycles. History Track cycling has been around since at least 1870. When track cycling was in its infancy, it wa ...

and

road cyclist Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling in which cyclists ride on paved roadways. It includes Recreational cycling, recreational, Road bicycle racing, racing, Bicycle commuting, commuting, and utility cycling. As users of the road, ...

from

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

, who represented his native country at four consecutive

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

, starting in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

where he placed fourth, missing the bronze medal by 4/100ths of a second. He won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal in the Men's 1,000m Time Trial at three different

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

. Samuel is a well-known bunch race track cyclist for his never-say-die competitive attitude and his warrior spirit, hence his nickname, "Geronimo". He broke the World Professional record in the 1000 metre time-trial in

Cali, Colombia Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the secon ...

, in 1992. He was a World Champion bronze medallist in the 1000 metre time trial in 1991 at the World Championships in

Stuttgart, Germany Stuttgart (; Swabian German, Swabian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fe ...

, a few days after winning the gold medal at the Pan American Games and breaking the track record in

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. He won double gold medals at the 1986 CAC Games in

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 (Distrito Nacional) , websi ...

and broke the 1000m track record in the process. He has three times been Sportsman of the Year in Trinidad and Tobago and also was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. He was awarded the National Award of the Chaconia Silver Medal for long and meritorious service to country in sport. He was named as one of the top 100 sportsmen in the 20th century for Trinidad and Tobago. He was named as one of the top 50 Legends in Sport for the 50th Independence Celebrations in Trinidad and Tobago. He has won an unprecedented over 65 Elite National Championship Track Champion Titles. He also owns and manages a cycling shop in Woodbrook,

Port of Spain Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...

, Trinidad, called Geronimo's Cycle & Sport Ltd. He coaches and trains with a local cycling team and is still avidly racing with great success amongst the much younger, professional elite cyclists. On August 26, 2011 Samuel was inducted into the Trexlertown Velodrome ("T-Town") Hall of Fame in

Trexlertown, Pennsylvania Trexlertown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Upper Macungie Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,382. It is part of the Lehigh Valley, which had a population of 86 ...

, in the United States. He is of Portuguese-Trinidadian descent.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Samuel, Gene 1960 births Living people Trinidad and Tobago male cyclists Cyclists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 1987 Pan American Games Cyclists at the 1991 Pan American Games Cyclists at the 1995 Pan American Games Olympic cyclists for Trinidad and Tobago Place of birth missing (living people) Pan American Games gold medalists for Trinidad and Tobago Pan American Games silver medalists for Trinidad and Tobago Pan American Games bronze medalists for Trinidad and Tobago Pan American Games medalists in cycling Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1991 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games Trinidad and Tobago people of Portuguese descent