The competition was a three-round tournament, with quarterfinals, semifinals, and a final.
Quarterfinals: three heats of eight cyclists each. Each heat had three runs, using a point-for-place system (one point for the winner of a run, two points for second, etc.), with the lowest points over the three runs winning. The best six cyclists in each heat (12 total) advanced to the semifinals, and the riders ranked 13–20 move to a last chance qualifier. In the last-chance qualifier, those eight riders race one time, and the top-four finishers advance to the semifinals, while the others cyclists were eliminated.
Semifinals: two heats of eight cyclists each. Again there were three runs per heat, using the point-for-place system. The top four cyclists in each semifinal (eight total) advanced to the final; the others (eight cyclists) were eliminated. In both the quarterfinals and the semifinals, riders are reseeded for the next heat according to time. If two or more riders are equal in points at the end of three runs, the times will be used to break the tie.
Final: one final of eight cyclists. There was only a single run.
Schedule
The event took place over two consecutive days.[1]