Ceci Lee Sze-wing scrubbed away the residual mental scarring from her recent alarming crash, claiming elimination race bronze on the opening day of the Japan Track Cup on Thursday.

It could have been even better for the Hongkonger had she not followed a bizarre lapse in concentration from fellow Hongkonger Chloe Leung Wing-yee, by immediately committing an identical error.

With four laps remaining, Leung stopped pedalling in the mistaken belief that she had been eliminated. After the 29-year-old had taken herself off the track, alongside rightly-eliminated Yumi Kajihara, none of the three remaining riders should have been removed following the next lap.

Third across the line, however, Lee believed that was the end of her race and slowed to a standstill.

Tsuyaka Uchino of Japan won gold, with silver going to China’s Chen Ning, the rider Lee beat to Asian Track Championships gold in the same discipline back in March.

“[Lee and Leung] both raced really well but neither of them listened to the commissaire [race referee] to know who was eliminated,” said Herve Dagorne, the Hong Kong head coach.

“Wing-yee was not eliminated, another rider was out before her but she stopped by herself without any information, then it was too late.