Today’s track cyclist of the day will feature someone from East Asia. He is without a doubt, the most popular track cyclist in East Asia and a sport superstar in Malaysia. We are referring to none other than Josiah Ng. We have met Josiah Ng countless times in several events and his presence is such a breath of fresh air in the velodrome. This is basically because of his being Asian, and carries with him the typical Asian personality. Josiah is a mixed Malaysian and Filipino (having been born in the Philippines), with a body that is both typical and yet atypical to that of Asians. Very few East Asians excel in the sport of track cycling simply because of lack of support, and the Asian build which is not suited to the track. But as his performance in the track shows, this does not really hamper ones dreams to become a world class track cyclist.
If you take a look at Josiah Ng’s cycling career, he manages to surprise a lot of people by winning a lot of events against other track cyclists who are more experienced and larger than him. If you take a look at his body, this is how an Asian mesomorph looks like. Granted, Josiah is a bit taller than other Asians and is actually a bit larger, yet some Asian features are prominent. His upper extremities are a bit lean, and his muscles are not that bulging and well defined. His thighs are typical to that of cyclists. His build can be explained by his constant training which has prepared his body for the track.
Now take a look at the photograph above which shows Josiah Ng together with the other Malaysian track cyclists. Josiah’s body is how should we say this, just right. Not too muscular and big, yet not too lean. It’s right smack down in the middle. Compare that to the other Malaysians who are really lean and take a look at the cyclist next to Josiah in the right side of the photo. That is Azizul Awang. Pretty pint sized for a cyclist yet managed to perform remarkably well. Such is the typical Asian build which can only be improved by constant strength training which Josiah has done.
Again take a look at Josiah Ng with the other Malaysian track cyclists. Observe the typical Asian build. Josiah’s thighs are definitely much more developed than the other cyclists. Despite that Josiah still doesn’t look too muscular but rather is built-ish.
Now these 2 photo shows the two Malaysian cyclists Josiah Ng and Azizul Awang dwarfed by the German cyclist Bergemann. This photo shows the stark difference between the builds of the Asians and that of the Europeans. Bergemann is a hulking muscle mass that’s around 100kg. Josiah Ng weighs just shy of 80kg. Despite that, Josiah Ng manages to perform excellently in the track.
What Josiah lacks in the body build department (compared to the other track cyclists), he makes it up for his amazing performance in the track. His career highlights definitely is one to be proud of. He is the only East Asian and the only Asian to qualify for the finals in an Olympic event. Not only that, he has won several international track cycling events. And for someone Asian, Josiah Ng looks hot. He is certified superstar in Malaysia, an endorser of big names including Fedex and Nike. He also made it into the covers of several magazines. This guy is hot in Malaysia. More like the ‘Chris Hoy’ of Malaysia.
But perhaps one of the best parts about Josiah Ng is his personality. And this is one of the reasons why Josiah Ng remains one of our favorite track cyclists. Yes, its typical Asian, kind, warm, very hospitable, courteous and that smile of his is very infectious. This guy has one very jovial personality! He also displays typical Asian resilience and compassion. This is how every cyclist must be like!
We’re quite lucky to have known Josiah Ng. His personality is truly unforgettable and his story is a typical underdog story and is an inspiration to all the Asians out there aiming high in the sport. Good luck Josiah Ng! Now here’s our last photo of Josiah Ng together with other track cyclists. Hot stuff indeed.
The Fixed Gear 
Hi Anna and Kean, I’m Josiah’s wife and came across this post through Google Alerts. This entry really cracked me up, in a good way, not in a bad way. It’s interesting how you analyse the human body, which is really what I admire about them – cyclists, they have such an awesome physique. I call Josiah “frog legs”, blogged on 15 April 2009 http://www.kimong.com/?p=597. What you’ve written pretty much sums up how Josiah is, and I am not being biased here because he’s my hubby. I admire all these qualities in him. It is a true honour that you consider Josiah the Chris Hoy of Malaysia. :) Josiah’s also launched his cycling gloves 5bling (not the one in the first photo though), do check out http://www.5bling.com. Thank you for this entry, it really made our day! :) XOXO Love from Melbourne.
p/s: If you do see us next time, do say hello ;)
Hi Kim! It is quite an honor for you to drop by and say a word to us. We thank you for appreciating what we’ve done here and what we have said about Josiah Ng, your husband. Of course, we will continue supporting him although we are away from the velodrome right now in order to pursue other things. We met Josiah several times in international track cycling events and even though our meetings were nothing more than just short chats and greetings, we enjoyed his presence. (We were with the Australian track support team as therapists and medical support) Again, thanks for dropping by!