Malaysian cyclist Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri secured a historic bronze medal in the women’s keirin event at the 2026 Asian Games, held at the Izu Velodrome in Shizuoka, Japan. The 23-year-old from Kedah finished third behind China’s Yuan Liying and Wang Lijuan, who claimed gold and silver respectively. This achievement marks Izzah as only the second Malaysian female cyclist to earn a podium finish in the keirin at the Asian Games, following Fatehah Mustapa’s silver in 2014 in Incheon.

This bronze is Izzah’s second medal of the current Games, adding to the women’s team sprint silver she won earlier alongside teammates Nurul Aliana Syafika Azizan, Nur Alyssa Mohd Farid, and Anis Amira Rosidi. The performance represents a significant progression for Izzah, who missed out on the keirin final during her debut in Hangzhou three years ago.

In the keirin final, Izzah positioned herself strategically in the final lap to hold onto third place. Earlier rounds saw strong performances by Izzah and her teammate Nur Alyssa Mohd Farid, with both qualifying for the main final – a first for Malaysian women’s cycling in this discipline. Alyssa finished fifth after winning her semifinal group, which included beating Yuan Liying and Taiwan’s Chen Ching-yun. Izzah advanced as second in her semifinal heat, trailing Wang Lijuan but ahead of Japan’s Haruka Nakazawa.

Speaking about her medal-winning ride, Izzah described the accomplishment as deeply meaningful, highlighting the challenge of competing against some of the world’s best athletes in the sport. The Paris Olympian expressed pride in securing her first individual Asian Games medal and optimism about her future development, particularly in building power on the track.

Following her success in the keirin and team sprint, Izzah is set to compete in the women’s individual sprint event at the Games. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s former world champion Azizulhasni Awang is also preparing to race in the sprint quarterfinals, aiming to contribute further to the country’s cycling medal tally.