Josiah to say au revoir to cycling after Paris world champs

Malaysian track cyclist Josiah Ng is tossed by Japanese riders and officials after winning bronze in keirin at the 2014 Asian Games last month.

PETALING JAYA: Josiah Ng, one of the most decorated track cyclists in Malaysia, has decided he will call it a day after the World Championships in France next February.

The 34-year-old made a statement on his website on Thursday stating his desire to “hang up the wheels for good”.

“One of the toughest things that all professional athletes have to do is having to make a decision to retire,” he said.

“The UCI Track World Championships in February in Paris will be my last competition as a professional cyclist.”

Josiah revealed that he had been thinking about retiring since the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, in September. There, he won the bronze medal in the keirin – the only medal from the men’s track squad.

Josiah began his career as a national cyclist 15 years ago and represented the country for the first time at the Asian Cycling Championships in Shanghai in 2000.

He is a three-time Olympian, having featured in the 2004 Games in Athens, 2008 (Beijing) and 2012 (London – albeit only as a reserve).

Josiah was awarded the Olympian and Sportsman of the Year awards in 2004 for his heroics in Athens, where he finished sixth in the keirin.

He was hopeful of a final fling at the 2016 Rio Olympics but a life-threatening accident – that punctured his lung and broke his ribs during the second leg of the Track World Cup in Aguascalientes, Mexico, last December – put paid to that dream.

That unfortunate accident derailed his plan for almost six months leading up to the Asian Games this year. He, however, failed to return to his best form.

“It has been a dream come true with all the amazing places I have gone to and great people I have met along the way.

“I will always treasure the feeling I felt in pushing my body to its limits to achieve victories.

“This journey would not have been possible without so many people who unselfishly made me a part of their lives and helped me so much. To them, I’m eternally grateful,” he said.