Japanese keirin racer Megumu Morohashi has died at the age of 49 after suffering a severe spinal injury in a crash at Nara Velodrome, the Japan Keirin Autorace Foundation (JKA) announced.
Morohashi was competing in the semifinal of the 11th race on the third day of the G3 76th Heian Memorial event, held at Nara Velodrome on Saturday 12 September 2026. During the race he struck the rear wheel of the rider ahead of him and fell face-first onto the track, sustaining a serious cervical spinal cord injury. He was rushed to a hospital in Nara City for treatment.
Despite receiving prompt medical care, Morohashi died in the early hours of Monday 21 September 2026. The JKA attributed his death to multiple organ failure resulting from the spinal injury.
Born on 21 July 1977 in Niigata Prefecture, Morohashi made his professional debut at age 20 at his hometown velodrome in Yahiko, having entered the Japan Keirin School as part of its 79th graduating class. He competed as an S-class first-division (S1) rider for most of his career, reaching the elite SS class in 2018 after qualifying at the Keirin Grand Prix.
Over nearly three decades of racing, he claimed 417 individual race wins and 49 tournament titles, including eight G3 crowns and one G2 title, the 2017 Kyodo News Cup.
Morohashi’s death marks the second fatal accident involving a Japanese keirin racer in 2026, following the death of Olympic silver medallist Toshiaki Fushimi in July.
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