Haruka Kawaji is unfazed by the rain filling the Kishiwada Keirin Velodrome in Osaka. Warm despite the cold and with eyes only for the racing line, she clicks her bike into the starting blocks and ...

They reveal their tactics before the race, wear armour to protect themselves from attacks and give presents to the opponents they beat. That does not happen in the keirin at the Olympics, inside the ...

IZU, Japan (Reuters) - Yuka Kobayashi broke new ground this week when she became the first female Japanese rider to compete at the Olympics in a keirin -- a cycling race ingrained in the country's ...

IZU, Japan (Reuters) - When coach Frenchman Benoit Vetu began working for the Japanese Cycling Federation five years ago his brief was simple -- deliver a medal in keirin at the Tokyo Olympics. That ...

Olympic gold medal winner Chris Hoy tried his luck at Keirin racing last year. He told The Scotsman: ""What you need to recognise is that you re not here for yourself. They drum into you the fact that ...

AUSTRALIA'S fastest track cyclist, Shane Perkins, has revealed Japanese keirin racing saved his cycling career and stopped him joining the army. Disillusioned with the sport in 2009 after missing the ...

Japanese officials have denied a report that the track cycling sport of keirin may have bribed its way into the Olympic Games. The BBC said an investigation had uncovered documents outlining payments ...

They bow as they walk their bikes onto the track and they do so again as they slot them into the start gates. They have no coach, no mechanic, no team. They have assembled their bikes single-handedly.

Early-morning abuse rings out across the velodrome as punters throw their betting slips to the ground, exasperated. "Idiot, why did you ride that line?" Up on the stadium screen, winnings are ...