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Japan's "Mister Keirin" aims to ride high
TOKYO, Sept 1 (AFP) - Millionaire cyclist Yuichiro Kamiyama is taking time off Japan's professional circuit of "keirin" in the pursuit of something money cannot buy -- an Olympic gold medal. The Japanese-born cycling event is making its Olympic debut in Sydney and for the man nicknamed "Mister Keirin," there is only one thing to aim for. "I cannot allow myself to lose after 12 years in keirin. I have my pride," he said. For three straight years, Kamiyama has been the top money earner among some 4,000 registered keirin racers in Japan. The 32-year-old has collected nearly 1.6 billion yen (15 million dollars) since his debut in 1988. Keirin Japan, is a high-speed event often compared to a roller derby in terms of excitement and, sometimes, gamesmanship. Several cyclists battle for position behind a pacer before a final free-for-all sprint. A break of over several weeks could mean a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in earnings for Kamiyama. But he has the reason to go for it. The muscle-bound Kamiyama -- 1.80m (six feet), 85kg (187 pound) -- has only one gold medal in his cupboard, the 1998 Asian Games sprint title. In world-class events, he finished second in the sprint at the 1998 world championships. Kamiyama competed in the Atlanta Games sprint but bowed out in the consolation round. Although keirin has been included in the world championships since 1980, Japan has triumphed only once -- in 1987 through Harumi Honda. Shiinchi Ota became the first Japanese to win the keirin World Cup in September last year. A big difference has developed between the original keirin and its world-wide offspring. Japanese pros battle over a track, 333-500 meters (1,100-1,650 feet) long. But the international keirin is fought on a short oval, mostly 250 meters (825 feet) long, with steeper banks and shorter straights. In Japan, racers from the same age groups or home provinces often team up to form "lines" to block others. It is not seen abroad. "The difference is as wide as that between speed skating and short-track skating," said Kamiyama. A native of Oyama, north of Tokyo, he started road racing when he was a small child. At junior high school, he was already clocking up more than 250 kilometers (400 miles) a day in training. As a high school student, Kamiyama raced to the sprint silver medal at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games before moving on to the cash-laden world of keirin. The Sydney Games may be an uphill battle against such big names as Germany's Jens Fiedler, 30. He retained the world keirin title last year after taking the Olympic sprint golds at the Barcelona and Atlanta Games. But Japanese head coach Hideo Madarame is determined his men will live up to expectations. "Winning a medal is the minimum requirement," he said. "We will aim for the gold.
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