Im Chae-Bin, who had won every race he had entered thus far in 2025, was beaten by his biggest rival Jeong Jong-Jin in Sunday’s special final of the King of Kings event, second only to the year-end Grand Prix in the Korean calendar.

It brought an end to 33-year-old Im Chae-Bin’s latest winning streak, 39 races dating back to October 2024.

All seemed to be proceeding as normal at Gwangmyeong Speed Dome as they entered the last lap, with Im Chae-Bin 5 sitting comfortably second, and Jeong Jong-Jin 2 right behind.

But when Im Chae-Bin made his inevitable attack into the back straight, Jeong Jong-Jin was able to hold on to his wheel, and the pair left the bunch far behind.

You can hear the gasps in the arena as Jeong Jong-Jin makes his move out of the final corner – and wins the dash to the line.

The two riders have topped the Korean keirin rankings for the past few years.

Im Chae-Bin was one of only a handful of riders officially named for the proposed DerbyWheel test event in spring 2024.