KUALA LUMPUR: Track cyclist Shah Firdaus Sahrom finished ninth in the keirin at the World Championships in Ballerup, Denmark, yesterday (Oct 17).
The 28-year-old's hopes of reaching the final were dashed as he placed fourth behind Colombia's Kevin Quintero, Japan's Kento Yamasaki, and Poland's Mateusz Rudyk in Heat 1 of the semi-finals.
His ninth-place finish was an improvement on his 2023 result, where he came 10th.
The final saw a major upset, with Yamasaki clinching gold, Israel's Mikhail Yakovlev taking silver, and Quintero settling for bronze.
Earlier, Shah's brother, Ridwan, was eliminated in the first-round repechage.
Meanwhile, double Asian champion Nurul Izzah Izzati Asri and Anis Amira Rosidi were ousted in the first elimination round of the women's sprint.
Izzah was relegated in her race against Germany's Alessa-Catriona Propster, while Anis was beaten by Japan's Mina Sato.