World No.1 Tower Runner is Malaysian But No One is Helping Him

Soh Wai Ching has been one of the athletes who keep on contributing to the excellent reputation of Malaysia.

He debuted in the tower running scene back in 2017. Throughout the last few years up till now, he has participated in 70 races, won 37 of them, and set 23 course records!

He was undoubtedly a trailblazer in tower running since he achieved the World No. 1 Tower Runner in April 2022. Even though Soh Wai Ching keeps giving, he is not receiving anything. 

In an exclusive interview with WORLD OF BUZZ, the tower runner told us that he had been without any sponsorships since March 2022 as his prior sponsors had chosen to sponsor other team sports.

Normally, that would have deterred other athletes from continuing on this path, but that is not the case for Soh Wai Ching. The tower runner borrowed money from his mentor to travel to competitions and for accommodation in those places.

During his 16 days trip to the USA in March/April, where he competed in 4 tower runs and managed to be the champion for all of them, he also met a few Malaysians who helped him out.

“I am glad to receive some support from a Malaysian in Dallas, Darren Chong, and in Houston, Hong Seng.”

As of now, Wai Ching is based in Dubai as the strategic location allows him to travel easily to competitions overseas, and there is an abundance of tall buildings for him to run.

In the glitz and glamour of Dubai, he stands there empty.

“I have pretty much emptied my savings. I have many more competitions coming up, and the only way I can get there is to secure corporate sponsorship.”

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has congratulated Soh Wai Ching on his success on June 10 and has said: “Keluarga Malaysia is proud of his achievements and hopes that he continues with his success.”

Tahniah Soh Wai Ching kembali ke status No. 1 dunia! ????

Jaguh lari menara negara kebanggaan kita kini mengesahkan statusnya sebagai nombor 1 di dunia selepas mengungguli kategori keseluruhan saingan Tunnel to Towers Climb NYC di New York, Amerika Syarikat (AS) pada Sabtu lalu. pic.twitter.com/jMh7Ibl9kk

— Ismail Sabri (@IsmailSabri60) June 10, 2022

When asked if the government has been of any help, Wai Ching gave us a quick “nope.” Be it as it may, he is still grateful that they are spreading the word about the sport he loves.

After Free Malaysia Today’s initial report, many citizens have reached out to Wai Ching as they would like to give him personal donations.

“I rejected all of them as I know the economy is not good. With the inflation, the price of household goods such as chicken and cooking oil is getting more expensive along with the petrol price.”

“Therefore, I would not want to receive donations from individuals, and I’m trying my best to get corporate sponsorships.”

Other than aiming to get corporate sponsorships to forge on with his career, the tower runner also hopes that more Malaysians will take up the sport. 

“I hope to see more Malaysians use the stairs daily as this sport is super safe. It can help strengthen your lower body and build strong bone density; you can do it wherever you go! It also burns double to triple calories compared to a walk in the park in the same amount of time.”

At the same time, he will hopefully be able to continue flying the Jalur Gemilang high on top of different podiums.

We certainly hope that Soh Wai Ching will be able to get the sponsorship that he deserves. His effort in tower running is not a trifle one, and as Malaysians, we are all very proud of him. 

If you can help Wai Ching in any way to get corporate sponsorships, please do so and you can contact him via his Instagram account.

But if you are unable to help him with sponsorships,  you can help share this article so that more people will know of Wai Ching’s cause.

Also read: M’sian Becomes First Asian To Win Empire State Building Run-Up By Finishing 86 Floors Under 11 Minutes!