ALTHOUGH emotionally and mentally affected by the passing of his father, world champion tower runner Soh Wai Ching hopes to continue making the late Soh Key Thee proud by defending his title.
Wai Ching shared that his father passed away from colon cancer in early June and that he was able to meet him before flying to Europe for two competitions in late May.
“I promised him that we would continue caring for mum and his grandchildren,” said Wai Ching, who has a seven-month-old son.
“My father, who worked as a taxi driver, was a strict person who valued his children having a good education.
“He was my role model. We were both very stubborn and set in our own ways.
“But he supported me during my early training days by taking me to the park for runs and recording my running times.”
While his motivation back then was to prove something to his father, the 31-year-old said he would continue working hard to show that being in a niche sport could also be a viable full-time career.
Throughout the 2025 season, Wai Ching competed in 32 championships in 14 countries, securing 26 overall champion titles and six runner-up finishes.
He was speaking after a sponsorship agreement signing ceremony with Petaling Jaya City Council at MBPJ’s headquarters in Jalan Yong Shook Lin.
Present at the event were Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Mohamad Zahri Samingon, Malaysia Towerrunning Association president Ravinder Singh and MBPJ councillor Nurashikin Ali.
MBPJ will provide a one-year sponsorship of RM75,000 to support Wai Ching’s participation in international tower running competitions to help him maintain his position as the world’s number one tower runner.
Mohamad Zahri said the agreement, effective until Dec 31, stipulated several conditions, including Wai Ching wearing official clothing with MBPJ’s logo in every tower running tournament and media interview, both locally and internationally.
The collaboration is also aimed at making Petaling Jaya the national tower running sport development centre.
“As part of the sports development initiative, Wai Ching will conduct tower running training sessions and workshops on Saturdays, subject to his tournament schedule,” said the mayor.
“He will also give motivational talks organised by MBPJ at schools around Petaling Jaya to share his experience.
“As the official MBPJ ambassador, Wai Ching also plays a role in promoting initiatives and programmes in Petaling Jaya through his various communication platforms.”
As a manifestation of this commitment, MBPJ will be organising the PJ International Tower Run 2026 on June 21 as part of Petaling Jaya city’s 20th anniversary celebration.
This international event is expected to bring together local and foreign participants, and serve as a platform to introduce and promote the sport of tower running to the public.
While the home for tower running is Petaling Jaya, Ravinder said there were plans to organise 10 tower running races across Malaysia.
Wai Ching highlighted that the free weekly tower running training held at Menara MBPJ has been ongoing for 140 weeks with over 2,000 participants.
“I will try to achieve more records for MBPJ, especially in conjunction with the city’s 20th anniversary,” said Wai Ching, noting that 2026 marked his fourth year of sponsorship by MBPJ.
“I will discuss with the mayor the possibility of organising a recognition event for an 80-year-old blind person who has participated in several weekly tower running sessions.”
