BEIJING —

Japanese cyclist Kiyofumi Nagai worked his way back from an early round defeat to win the keirin bronze medal on Saturday, giving his country the first Olympic medal in the track event. Nagai could only manage a third-place result in his first-round heat but bounced back by finishing first in his repechage group and second in his semifinal heat, in which luck smiled on him as two cyclists took spills moments after the start. In the six-man final, Nagai positioned himself at the rear early on and moved in front with two laps to go. Britain’s Chris Hoy and Ross Edgar then sped past him but the 25-year-old clung onto third place and became the first Japanese medalist in cycling at these Games.

Two-time world champion Hoy, who won the gold in the 1,000-meter time trial at the Athens Olympics, grabbed the gold and Edgar took silver. ‘‘It is the first time that an Olympic keirin final has featured a Japanese and I’m very happy with it,’’ Nagai said. ‘‘This medal is special to me particularly because I missed a spot in the Athens Olympics, which was a huge disappointment.’’ Four years ago, Nagai helped Japan’s sprint team qualify for Athens but was dropped from the team before the Games began. The Japanese team went on to win the silver medal in the event in the Greek capital

Kyodo

3 Comments

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  flammenwerfer at 09:31 AM JST - 17th August

  Well done Nagai, you have given cycling fans a rare glimpse at the incredibly exciting track cycling events.

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  rajakumar at 05:44 PM JST - 17th August

  Good job, Nagai.

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  888naff at 08:42 PM JST - 17th August

  the bbc having making some hay out of Japan allegedly bribing the officials to get the kiren into the olympics... they seem to be quiet on that now that the "brits" have done well in that sport.

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