Jeong Jong-jin avenged a semi-final defeat on Saturday with victory in Sunday’s main final, as Korean keirin celebrated its 32nd anniversary at the Gwangmyeong Speedom.
The two riders who have dominated in the sport in Korea for many years, Jong-Jin and Im Chae-bin, were placed together in Saturday’s semi-final stages.
Im Chae-bin 2 took control of the race as the bell sounded, but Jeong Jong-jin 6 found himself boxed in the middle of the line, and lost his rival’s wheel.
Jeong Jong-jin dug deep in the back straight, but never managed to get beyond the second-placed Park Jin-young 5. He finished third: that’s only the third time in five years of races against Im Chae-bin that Jeong Jong-jin hasn’t been first or second. But it was enough to secure a place in Sunday’s main final, and a chance of revenge.
Im Chae-bin held on for the win; but there was a moment of drama after the finish, as he made contact with Park Jin-young, and fell to the ground – but with no apparent harm done.
The two stars stuck close together in the early stages of Sunday’s main final, drifting towards the back of the line as the pacer exited the track.
Into the final lap, and Im Chae-bin 1 eventually made his move from fifth, with Jeong Jong-jin 3 right behind. Im Chae-bin took the lead as they came out of the final corner; but Jeong Jong-jin found extra speed into the home straight, and was out of the saddle, charging towards the line.
With a thrust of his handlebars, Jeong Jong-jin snatched the lead in the final few metres, and he took the win by a little over a wheel.
The head-to-head moves to 7 wins for Jeong Jong-jin in calendar year 2026, to just 2 for Im Chae-bin. Since their first clash in 2021, Im Chae-bin has won 23 to Jeong Jong-jin’s 12.
