Satoh Mizuna and Nakazawa Haruka advance to keirin final after semi-final victories

Satoh Mizuna in vehicle 1 and Nakazawa Haruka in vehicle 2 each secured first-place finishes in their semi-final races at the Pearl Cup keirin tournament, advancing to the final. Satoh executed a front-leading strategy, maintaining composure and avoiding direct confrontation with rival Fujita Mariia while carefully managing her position through the critical phases of the race. She acknowledged hearing voices near the finish line and emphasized the importance of staying clear of any violations in the final. Nakazawa adapted her racing to the movements of rival Kodama Aoi, demonstrating flexibility in her approach. Both riders expressed determination for the final, with Satoh emphasizing her commitment to focused racing despite external pressure from consecutive G1 victories, while Nakazawa reflected on yesterday's performance and committed to decisive execution at her chosen moment. The semi-final results set up a competitive final field with other qualifiers including Kume Uta (2nd in race 11), Yoshikawa Miho (2nd in race 12), Ota Riyu (3rd in race 11), Kodama Aoi (3rd in race 12), and Ozaki Mutsumi (4th in race 11).