KUALA LUMPUR – World number one tower runner Soh Wai Ching is working hard to raise funds to enable him to continue to conquer skyscrapers around the world after emerging champion of the Fight For Air Climb NYC at Penn 1 Plaza, New York, USA recently.
Despite being the world’s top-ranked athlete in the sport and achieving various successes, the 27-year-old still does not have good financial support to further develop his career as a tower runner.
As a result, he had to forgo the opportunity to take part in The Step Up For MSWA competition in Central Park, Perth, Australia on June 19, in his mission to collect ranking points to remain in first position.
However, this has not dampened his spirits as he is eyeing to take part in another competition in Germany in August.
“Recently, some people wanted to help me to participate in the competition in Perth, but it was too late because the deadline for registration had to be made earlier this month.
“However, it’s okay because after this there are still a few events that will allow me to collect points and maintain myself as the world’s number one tower runner,” he said.
Soh, who is currently in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, said to maintain the top position he needed to show consistent performance as the points considered for the world rankings were based on only eight competitions.
“The points accumulated so far (from five competitions) is 574, (I) still need three more competitions to complete the position,” he explained.
Soh, whose name entered the Guinness World Records after setting a world record for the vertical stair climbing challenge by running 1.295km in an hour, said he needed about RM20,000 to cover flight tickets and other costs for participation in the next competition.
“In Dubai, I have met several Malaysians in a programme to promote Malaysian tourism and some are interested in sponsoring. However, further discussions will continue after I return to Malaysia on June 26,” he said.
Meanwhile, he also wants to hold discussions with the Youth and Sports Ministry on several tower-running activities in Malaysia, including plans to host the Asia Oceania Championship in Malaysia in October, and hopes to get support and financial support from the ministry. – Bernama, June 15, 2022
