(Petaling Jaya, 17th) After winning the 3rd Tower Running World Championship last year, Malaysia’s star athlete Soh Wai Ching is now focused on developing successors, actively promoting tower running as a mainstream sport in the country, and striving for Malaysia to become the top and most representative nation in the sport worldwide.
He emphasized that after achieving his goal of becoming a world champion in tower running, his next mission is to train more world champions so the sport can continue to grow domestically.
He stated that to achieve these goals, workshops and training sessions are needed to build a community. The Malaysian Tower Running Association’s (MTA) “100 Floors Club” organizes stair climbing training every Saturday from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm at MBPJ Tower in Petaling Jaya, which is free and open to the public.
He pointed out that he or representatives from the association will be on site to demonstrate and share their experiences. Recently, many newcomers have appeared, some training in preparation for the Sky Race to be held at Merdeka 118 Tower on August 30.
He mentioned that the public does not need to bring any special equipment, just water, a towel, and a change of clothes to directly take part in the training.
“We are also looking for other venues in different states and towns to serve as training bases, offering free training every Saturday to build the community.”
Soh Wai Ching continued that the second step is to organize competitions; he hopes to hold an event every month in Malaysia, so that through word of mouth stair climbing will gradually develop and attract more participants.
“The third step is collaborating with companies, such as banks, insurance firms, or developers who have office towers—they could host workshops, and companies could sponsor employees to participate.”
Talking about promoting stair climbing in schools, Soh Wai Ching said the Malaysian Tower Running Association had previously held competitions at three public and private universities in the country. In June this year and with coordination and sponsorship from Petaling Jaya Member of Parliament Lee Chean Chung, the association entered a local secondary school for the first time to conduct a workshop, and a group of students also personally experienced training at the MBPJ Tower.
He noted that this activity may be extended to other schools, but the detailed arrangements are still being finalized.
“I do not receive any payment, it is entirely from my wish to contribute to Petaling Jaya, as the MBPJ has given me support, and I must give back to society, for example by giving talks and motivational lectures to students at schools.”
In advocating stair climbing as a lifestyle, Soh Wai Ching believes that both private businesses and public sectors should encourage employees to take the stairs and treat it as daily exercise so that employee health, productivity, and efficiency can be improved.
He suggested that every office building follow the example of “Earth Hour” by suspending elevator operations for an hour, encouraging more people to use the stairs and develop healthy habits.
He emphasized that after achieving his goal of becoming a world champion in tower running, his next mission is to train more world champions so the sport can continue to grow domestically.
He stated that to achieve these goals, workshops and training sessions are needed to build a community. The Malaysian Tower Running Association’s (MTA) “100 Floors Club” organizes stair climbing training every Saturday from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm at MBPJ Tower in Petaling Jaya, which is free and open to the public.
He pointed out that he or representatives from the association will be on site to demonstrate and share their experiences. Recently, many newcomers have appeared, some training in preparation for the Sky Race to be held at Merdeka 118 Tower on August 30.
He mentioned that the public does not need to bring any special equipment, just water, a towel, and a change of clothes to directly take part in the training.
“We are also looking for other venues in different states and towns to serve as training bases, offering free training every Saturday to build the community.”
Soh Wai Ching continued that the second step is to organize competitions; he hopes to hold an event every month in Malaysia, so that through word of mouth stair climbing will gradually develop and attract more participants.
“The third step is collaborating with companies, such as banks, insurance firms, or developers who have office towers—they could host workshops, and companies could sponsor employees to participate.”
Talking about promoting stair climbing in schools, Soh Wai Ching said the Malaysian Tower Running Association had previously held competitions at three public and private universities in the country. In June this year and with coordination and sponsorship from Petaling Jaya Member of Parliament Lee Chean Chung, the association entered a local secondary school for the first time to conduct a workshop, and a group of students also personally experienced training at the MBPJ Tower.
He noted that this activity may be extended to other schools, but the detailed arrangements are still being finalized.
“I do not receive any payment, it is entirely from my wish to contribute to Petaling Jaya, as the MBPJ has given me support, and I must give back to society, for example by giving talks and motivational lectures to students at schools.”
In advocating stair climbing as a lifestyle, Soh Wai Ching believes that both private businesses and public sectors should encourage employees to take the stairs and treat it as daily exercise so that employee health, productivity, and efficiency can be improved.
He suggested that every office building follow the example of “Earth Hour” by suspending elevator operations for an hour, encouraging more people to use the stairs and develop healthy habits.