- Toshiaki Fushimi, an Olympic silver medallist and highly successful keirin cyclist, died on Sunday after sustaining critical injuries in a race crash on Saturday.
- The 50-year-old suffered fractures to his cervical vertebrae and skull when he crashed into a safety barrier during the Matsusaka Keirin in Japan, attempting to avoid a pile-up.
- Fushimi, who made his professional keirin debut in 1995, had a distinguished career, winning 619 races, five G1 titles, and the Keirin Grand Prix twice.
- The Japan Keirin Association (JKA) confirmed his death and its chairman, Hiroshi Kido, expressed heartbreak, pledging to review safety measures following the incident.
- Tributes poured in from the cycling community, including from Malaysian former professional cyclist Josiah Ng Onn Lam, who remembered Fushimi as one of Japan's best keirin riders and a true professional.
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