Josiah Ng (right) competes with Mohd Azizulhasni Awang Yunos during the Malaysian National Track Championship last year.
PETALING JAYA: The national track cyclists had to endure a gruelling a 25-hour flight from Cottbus, Germany, to Chiangmai in Thailand for their final phase of training ahead of the Incheon Asian Games from Sept 19-Oct 4.
Apart from jet lag, the journey was made more taxing as some of them had to wait for their delayed luggage before they could start training.
For Josiah Ng, upping the ante in the final phase of preparation is crucial as he intends to make his Incheon outing a memorable one after a tepid performance at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
“You will see a stronger Josiah in Incheon. I have really stepped up my game in training ... but I’m sure the others have also stepped up their preparation. There should be good competition in Incheon,” he said.
The national squad, comprising Josiah, Azizulhasni Awang, Mohd Rizal Tisin, Mohd Edrus Yunos, Fatehah Mustapa and Ju Pha Som Net, have just completed their month-long training-cum-competition stint at the 333m outdoor velodrome in Cottbus.
They will be in Chiangmai for two weeks to train on the 333m outdoor velodrome with coach John Beasley, who has decided to focus their training on the 333m outdoor velodrome instead of the 250m indoor track because of the similarities to the competition venue in Incheon.
Josiah has proven to be a fighter – on and off the tracks. The 34-year-old made a strong comeback from a horrible injury last December to compete in Glasgow.
He broke his collarbone, ribs and punctured his lung after a crash in the keirin event at the Track World Cup event in Mexico, which derailed much of his preparation.
“I wasn’t at my best in Glasgow but then it is almost impossible to peak twice in a year. We chose to target the Asiad and that explains why we went to train in Cottbus immediately after Glasgow,” he said.
“We have focused our work on strength training as the 333m track requires more strength than speed.”
At the 2010 Asiad in Guangzhou, Josiah grabbed the silver and Azizul the gold in keirin.
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