WHETHER track cyclist Lau New Joe brings home a medal perhaps does not really matter.
After suffering horrific facial injuries at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games last month, where five of his teeth were knocked out, it is already remarkable that New Joe is back on his bike and ready to make his Asian Games debut in Shizuoka.
New Joe will be racing in the men's omnium and more determined to prove a point after surviving the scary high speed crash at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow just more than a month ago.
New Joe fell flat on his face and spent the night in the local hospital in Glasgow.
He, however, returned to training just five days after the incident.
The 21-year-old, who is the only endurance rider in the Asian Games squad, recalled that he woke up inside the ambulance.
"I thought I was dreaming at first but then the pain was real," said New Joe.
"I was going at high speed and the riders in front of me crashed and I could not escape (crashing).
"That's all I remembered and I woke up later in ambulance. My first thought was whether I was able to go to the Asian Games.
"I felt sorry for the team as they have prepared me and I wasted their effort.
"I was a bit relieved after the CT scan revealed that no bones were broken other than the injuries on my face and skin, so I was able to return to the track a few days after that," said the Kuala Lumpur-born cyclist.
His old bike was written off in the crash and New Joe will compete in Shizuoka on a new track bike provided by the National Sports Council.
"When I am on the start line, I want to give my all and have no regrets.
"I hope I can show people that Malaysia can also do well in track endurance racing and not just in sprint disciplines," said New Joe, who already knows what it takes to finish on the podium for Malaysia at a multi-sport Games.
He was part of the gold medal winning team pursuit quartet at the Thailand SEA Games last December. At the SEA Games, New Joe also won the points race silver in Bangkok.
The track cycling team flew to Japan from training camp in Brisbane on Friday (Sept 25).
