The PURPOSE Podcast: Josiah Ng, 3-time Olympian and the motivation to motivate others

Malaysian professional track cyclist Josiah Ng (now retired) was the first Malaysian to make it into the Olympic cycling finals, before going on to become a three-time Olympian at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

Based in Malaysia now, Josiah had an illustrious cycling career, including a Commonwealth Games gold medal, three Asian Championship gold medals, two Southeast Asian Games gold medals and more.

Growing up in the States, Josiah secretly went cycling at night, hiding his bicycle at his friend’s home, as his parents did not approve of his cycling endeavours. At the age of 18, his father gave him a choice and Josiah decided to leave home to pursue his cycling dreams (and some girls along the way).

He never stopped chasing his dream, even dropping out of university. Eventually his parents came around when he qualified for his first Olympic Games and came to support him at his races.

Finally at 35, after multiple serious injuries (two of which were near-death), Josiah retired from professional cycling. Therein lies another challenge – transitioning out of the professional athlete life into normal life – but that is where mental strength comes to play.

A father of one, Josiah found his purpose and is now focused on growing his cycling academy to help develop the scene in Malaysia. He also gives motivational talks, in hope of inspiring the next generation of athletes.

Listen to our latest episode of The PURPOSE Podcast, featuring Josiah Ng, here.