Women's Keirin will be the fourth track discipline to race at the 2024 Paris Games. 

The women’s first round will take place at 7:26 a.m. on Wednesday. The men's Keirin first round will take place on Saturday at 11:19 a.m. ET.

Races last about two-and-a-half minutes. In each race, which is six laps (1.5 km or .93 miles) in length, cyclists are paced by a motorized bike for three laps with increasing speed from 30 to 50 kilometers per hour (18.6 to 31.1 mph), followed by a three-lap sprint to the finish. 

In the first round, a maximum of 30 riders are organized into five heats. The fastest two riders from each heat automatically advance to the second round. The remaining 20 riders are sent to a repechage round, in which they are organized into four five-person heats, with the top two racers of each heat advancing. 

Eighteen riders, ten from the first round and eight from the repechage phase, advance to the quarterfinals. The quarterfinals are divided into three heats of six riders each. The top four in each heat advance to the semifinals with no repechage. 

The semifinals are divided into two heats of six riders each. The top three in each advance to the final. Gold, silver and bronze are awarded to the top-three finishers in that heat. The bottom six from the semifinals race in a B final to determine places 7-12. 

New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews is considered a favorite after winning a Track Nations Cup race in April. Andrew’s helped New Zealand win a silver medal in the women’s team sprint on Monday. Andrews won the silver medal in Tokyo.

Another familiar face from the women’s team sprint includes Great Britain’s Emma Finucane. The sprinter helped Great Britain claim gold in the event and looks to add to her medal total in the Keirin. 

Other contenders to look for include Tokyo bronze medalist Lauriane Genest, two-time world silver medalist Mina Sato of Japan and 2023 world silver medalist Martha Bayona from Colombia. 

No Americans will compete in the event. Reigning Olympic gold medalist Shanne Braspennicx from the Netherlands will not be in Paris after she announced she was retiring in February. 

Great Britain has won each of the last four men’s Keirin events. Jason Kenny retired after the Tokyo Games, so he will not defend his back-to-back titles. Compatriot Jack Carlin will look to step up for the British. He finished 8th in Tokyo. Carlin won silver in the men’s team sprint on Tuesday. 

After winning the men’s team sprint, the Netherlands could be strong individual contenders in this race. Harrie Lavreysen and Jeffrey Hoogland look to find the podium. Lavreysen won bronze in Tokyo and three straight titles from 2020 to 2022. Three-time Olympian Hoogland hasn’t competed in the event in either of his prior Olympic appearances. 

Reigning world champion Kevin Quintero looks to become the first Colombian man to win an Olympic cycling medal. He finished 11th in Tokyo, but has finished on the podium at each of the last two World Championships. 

After winning bronze in the men’s team sprint, Australia’s Matthew Richardson or Matthew Glaetzer could add to their medal total and be a threat to finish on the podium. 

Malaysia’s Azizulhasni Awang could become the first-ever Malaysian Olympic gold medalist. The 36-year-old is the only Malaysian to win an Olympic cycling medal. He earned bronze in the Keirin in Rio in 2016 and silver in Tokyo. He could also become the first cyclists, man or woman, to win as many as three Olympic Keirin medals. The 36-year-old is expected to retire after the Paris Games.

No Americans qualified for the event.