Jing Xuan plots steady rise towards Asian Games mark

PETALING JAYA: National javelin thrower Ng Jing Xuan (pic) is shifting her focus to 2026, with the Asian Games and a 55m qualifying mark firmly in her sights.

The 21-year-old Sarawakian believes the distance will come through patience and technical refinement.

“The goal is the Asian Games and the 55m mark, but it has to be step by step. In every competition, I just want to execute well and trust the process,” said Jing Xuan.

Working closely with coach Ali Hamid, Jing Xuan hopes to peak faster and continue shattering records.

“In field events, you usually improve as you get older,” she said.

“The idea is to build steadily from now and peak at the right time but not too late. Javelin is always evolving, there are new techniques, forms and ways of thinking, so I just have to keep learning.”

While qualification for the Commonwealth Games remains a steep challenge, Jing Xuan is undeterred.

“It won’t be easy, but I’ll still give it my very best,” she said, adding that she has received vital support from the National Sports Institute (NSI) in areas such as physiology, nutrition and sports psychology.

Jing Xuan enjoyed a landmark year in 2025 after smashing the national women’s javelin record with a 52.17m throw, erasing an 11-year-old mark – a performance that now serves as the launchpad for her next push towards continental contention.

Her record-breaking throw eclipsed her previous personal best of 49.11m, set at the Philippines Open in May, and surpassed the long-standing national record of 49.34m established by Siti Nur Nadiah Othman at the 2014 Thailand Open.