PETALING JAYA: World No. 1 tower runner Soh Wai Ching is turning personal tragedy into motivation after securing a new sponsorship with Next Energy, which will ease the financial burden of competing on the international circuit.
The 32-year-old, who lost his father Soh Key Thee to colon cancer just 50 days ago, said his late father always prioritised education and had supported his family’s academic pursuits.
“My siblings were all academically gifted, but I wasn’t. I found tower running instead, and I’ve never looked back,” said Wai Ching after signing the partnership agreement at the Royal Lake Club.
“I miss him every day and hope to make him proud through my achievements.”
Despite being the world’s top-ranked tower runner, Wai Ching has largely funded his own travel and accommodation to nearly 30 competitions annually, often sacrificing comfort to keep costs down.
“It’s difficult balancing expenses while trying to perform at the highest level. Sometimes I’d stay far from the race venue, spending an hour travelling on race day, and I’d already be exhausted before the event even started,” he said.
He added that he frequently booked flights with multiple transit stops to save money, even if it meant arriving fatigued.
That challenge should now ease with Next Energy committing up to RM150,000 to support his competition expenses, allowing him to concentrate fully on defending his title at the Skye Race in Merdeka 118 on Aug 22.
The event will feature more than 9,000 participants, including world No. 2 Ryoji Watanabe of Japan and world No. 4 Mark Bourne of Australia.
“I have to defend my home ground. The pressure will be huge, but winning is my target,” said Wai Ching, who also hopes to better his course record of 15 minutes and 37 seconds over the tower’s 2,845 steps.
Before the Skye Race, he will compete in events in Kuantan, Guangzhou and Ho Chi Minh City as part of his preparations.
