# Dead heat means no semi-final place for world champion Yamasaki

*By Simon | November 22, 2024*

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![Screenshot](https://globalkeirin.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/tiefor2nd.jpg)

## 󠀁[Dead heat means no semi-final place for world champion Yamasaki](https://globalkeirin.com/2024/11/dead-heat-means-no-semi-final-place-for-world-champion-yamazaki/)󠁿

22 November 2024

UCI world keirin champion Kento Yamasaki has failed to reach the S Class
semi-finals at the prestigious Kokura Festival.

Riders needed to finish first or second in their qualifying race on day four of
the festival, to make progress in the major competition.

![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/qfu7PjKO9o8/maxresdefault.jpg)

_Yamasaki was in Race 7 (starts at 05:08 in this clip)_

Yamasaki 9 led the race out of the final corner, but Yohei Yamada 3 came out of
his slipstream and passed him on the outside to take the win. Yuki Kitai 1 got
good momentum out of the corner, and gave it everything as the line approached.

The judges could not ultimately separate Yamasaki and Kitai, declaring them tied
for second place.

Kitai claimed the place in the major semi finals based on countback rules.
Forgive us for skipping the [details](https://morecadence.jp/keirin/186877); we
don’t entirely trust the online translations.

Yamasaki will continue to race in the lower-ranked competition.

**Categories:** Original
**Tags:** japan