INCHEON: It’s a case of now or never. Josiah Ng is 34 and he intends to give one last strong kick to bag the elusive Asian Games gold medal.
Josiah has the unique distinction of finishing with a silver at each of his three Asiad appearances.
And Josiah, who was born in the United States but raised in Manila, is determined to make the most of every opportunity in either the sprint or keirin when the cycling competition starts tomorrow.
For the keirin, Josiah will be lining up with team-mate and defending champion Azizulhasni Awang.
“It’s my last chance to get a gold and I want to make the most of it. I have run the full course of my career and I want to go out on a high,” said Josiah.
“Physically, I am not at my best. It’s difficult to recover so soon after last month’s Commonwealth Games.
“But I think it should be good enough for a strong run.”
Josiah is happy that he has played his part in raising the profile of Malaysian track cycling.
“I was a young kid making my Asian Games debut in Busan 12 years ago.
“There were others in the Malaysian team but they were just not good enough to go anywhere near a medal.
“It was still a surprise to many for me to get the silver in the sprint as the last time we got a medal was in the early 1970s.
“Four years later, I was the favourite to win the keirin in Doha, but luck was just not on my side. In Guangzhou in 2010, I lost out to my own team-mate (Azizulhasni) in the keirin after a good run,” he reminisced.
If there is any comfort for Josiah, it is that his exploits encouraged the National Sports Council (NSC) to set up a base for the track cyclists in Melbourne.
“We ended the Asian Games gold drought in Guangzhou and we surely want to maintain it,” he said.
“Previously, the expectations were all on me when it comes to the Asian Games but now my team-mates also have good medal chances. It’s nice to see the tree finally producing the fruit.
“I helped the tree grow. But if I can’t win the gold, I’ll still be proud if my team-mate gets it.”
Asked who could spoil Malaysia’s dream of a cycling gold, Josiah answered: “The South Koreans have stepped up. They won the team sprint gold at the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan in May. Previously, they were not even among the top four. We also have to watch out for riders from Japan and China.”
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