Japanese Olympic silver medal-winning cyclist Toshiaki Fushimi has died following a crash during a cycling race in Japan.
The 50-year-old was competing in the Matsusaka Keirin tournament on Saturday, July 18, when he crashed into a safety barrier while trying to avoid riders who had fallen ahead of him. Footage shared on X appears to show Fushimi swerving toward the barrier in an effort to avoid the pile-up.
He suffered severe injuries, including fractures to his neck (cervical vertebrae) and skull. Fushimi died from his injuries on Sunday, July 19, at 10:15 a.m. local time.
"It is truly heartbreaking that he lost his life in an accident during a race,” the chairman of the Japan Keirin Association (JKA), Hiroshi Kido told. British media platform in a statement. “We will reconfirm our safety measures and thoroughly ensure fair and safe races.”
Fushimi was part of the Japanese team that won the silver medal in the team sprint at the 2004 Athens Olympics, alongside Tomohiro Nagatsuka and Masaki Inoue. After turning professional in 1995, he built an illustrious career, claiming 619 race victories, five G1 championships, and two Keirin Grand Prix titles in 2001 and 2007.
Keirin is a track cycling discipline in which riders follow a motorised pace bike as it steadily increases speed over several laps of the velodrome. Once the pacer exits the track with roughly 0.4 miles remaining, the cyclists launch into an all-out sprint to the finish.
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