Britain’s Matthew Richardson crashed hard in the men’s final on day three of the latest Keirin World Series event in Tachikawa – earning a disqualification for Kento Suzuki, even in the rough-and-tumble world of Japanese domestic keirin, and putting Richardson’s hopes of Commonwealth Games glory this weekend in doubt. (Update: confirmed)
Harrie Lavreysen 3 made an early move from the back of the line as the pacer prepared to exit, with Richardson 5 on his wheel. Suzuki 1, the top-rated rider in the race, got aboard the train, then accelerated frantically as they entered the home straight with the bell ringing.
Then he made what seemed to be a deliberate swerve to the inside, colliding hard with Richardson. The foreign guest’s bike slid out from under him, and he rolled head-over-heels as the line passed.
There is an audible crack as his head hits the ground: one can only hope that was the helmet doing its job, and bearing the brunt of the impact.
Lavreysen stayed ahead to defend his unbeaten record, with Minato Nakaishi 2 taking second – with a hint of a swerve to force Suzuki off his line, perhaps? Suzuki was fourth across the line, but was unsurprisingly disqualified.
The camera followed the race; but as Lavreysen led them across the finish line, you can just about catch sight of Richardson lying on the grass at track centre, surrounded by track officials.
He is reported to have left the track in an ambulance: there has been no official communication as to the nature or extent of any injuries.
‘It was a really long senko, so I could feel my legs, but I’m really happy with the win, and I hope Matthew Richardson is all right,’ Lavreysen said soon afterwards.
‘I’m really happy with nine wins in a row, I start to feel better in every race, to feel more comfortable on the steel bike and on the outdoor track. I hope I can keep this streak, and I feel very good about it. I never rode in a line, but I like it pretty much, it’s different from UCI, but I think I can learn a lot from it.’
The women’s final gave us the showdown we have been waiting for, with world no3 Mina Sato lining up against two foreign stars, Mathilde Gros and Hetty van de Wouw.
With the three stars waiting patiently at the back, an early attacker tried her luck – but the trio were soon on her shoulder, with van de Wouw 4 getting briefly squeezed.
Out of the final bend, Gros 5 had a slight advantage on the inside, but Sato 1 came through to win by one length from Gros, with van de Wouw a quarter-wheel behind in third – and the rest out of sight. It’s the first overall win for a Japanese woman in the Keirin World Series.
The next event in the Series, at Wakayama on 6-9 August, is the only one rated at the higher G3 level, and will feature all six international guests.
But disappointingly, no men from the elite SS class are expected to participate; and the one-off women’s race on the final day clashes with the Women’s All-Star Keirin meeting at Sasebo, meaning only one of the current top 20 will line up against the foreign stars.
