Passion never retires

NG JOO NGAN

I'm Ng Joo Ngan

What started out as an innocent bicycle race among children in a neighbourhood, led to the discovery of a potential cycling champion. When Datuk Ng Joo Ngan was 10, he was not interested in cycling but couldn't resist a challenge by his elder brother Joo Pong and a neighbour to a race near their home. 

The prize was a plate of "char kuey teow". Joo Ngan lost. 

Determined to win the next time, he trained hard and beat them in a return race. The seeds of an eventual national cyclist were sown.
Datuk Ng Joo Ngan was born in 1947 in Kuala Lumpur, to a family of 17 children. When their father discovered their cycling talent, he made Joo Ngan and Joo Pong ride for hours on Jalan Kuchai Lama on weekends, driving slowly behind in his car to ensure their safety. The effort paid off when Joo Pong became a national champion and represented Malaysia in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.

"...Wah, if I train longer, I think I can beat my brother."

Ng Joo Ngan's foray into national cycling began in 1966, when he won the road races in the national championships. That same year, he took part in his first major international competition - the Bangkok Asian Games. But Joo Ngan and a few other competitors crashed into one another, ending his debut.
Joo Ngan made a comeback in the 1967 Bangkok SEAP Games winning a Silver and two Bronze.
1969 was the darkest year of his life. Joo Ngan and his brother Joo Pong were on a routine training ride on a KL road when their father who was behind them, met with an accident and died. The brothers were devastated. As Joo Ngan recalls, it took them months to get back to cycling. But a year later, Ng Joo Ngan reached the pinnacle of his cycling career.

"You must do it!” I dreamed of him, I must do it... I was always worried that my father would scold me, you see. My father was very strict ...So I really --we really miss him actually."

He won the Gold in the 200-km road race at the 1970 Bangkok Asian Games, and the Silver in the 200-km Team event.

He was also voted National Sportsman of the Year in 1970.

In 1971,Ng Joo Ngan became National Champion in the Tour of Malaysia covering more than 1,000 kilometres over 8 days.
After retiring from competitive cycling, the five-time national champion began training both state and national cyclists.

"The most important thing is his commitment to daily training, I don’t think anyone can do that for 30, 40 years, everyday, daily."

-  Tsen Seong Hoong  -
(SEA Games Gold medalist)

"The first thing when you become a coach, you have to discipline yourself first."

In 2010, he was conferred a Datukship by his Majesty the Yang Di Pertuan Agung. Till today, Datuk Ng Joo Ngan keeps to the same regime he has religiously followed for more than 50 years - retiring to bed by 8PM, waking up by 5AM and out training his cohort of young riders who are aspiring to be the next Olympic medalists for Malaysia.

"I think I was born to be a sportsman and sport is in my blood. You see, sometimes you ask me to forget about cycling, it's so difficult. It's so difficult..."

TIPS AND TREATS

The Champion In Me

When you are good,
you must know how to win
It's hard work to get to the top
No cold water!

We Were Champions

Cycling

Achievements

1966 ASIAN Games, Bangkok
-  team time trial  -
(4th)
1967 SEAP Games, Kuala Lumpur
-  100 km team time trial  -
(Silver)

-  4 km team pursuit  -
(Bronze)

-  200 km road race  -
(Bronze)
1968 NATIONAL CHAMPION
-  40 km Individual time trial  -
-  25 km Criterium race  -
1970 Track and Road Race in Seremban
(NATIONAL CHAMPION)
1970 Tour of Jawa
-  Overall Team and Individual  -
(CHAMPION)
1970 ASIAN Games, Bangkok
-  200 km road race  -
(Gold)
(RECORD HOLDER)

-  200 km team road race  -
(Silver)

-  200 km road race  -
(Bronze)
1971 Tour of Malaysia
-  Individual road race  -
(NATIONAL CHAMPION)
(8 days race - total 1,020 km)
━━━━━━
1970 Malaysian Sportsman of the Year
━━━━━━
1973 SEAP Games Singapore
-  100 km team road race  -
(Silver)

-  100 km team time trial  -
(Bronze)
1974 NATIONAL CHAMPION
-  200 km road race  -