KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian world number one tower runner Soh Wai Ching (pix) powered his way to the elite men’s division title in the United States (US) Space Needle Stair Climb in Seattle in record-breaking fashion on Sunday.
Wai Ching ran up the 832-step (158.5-meter elevation gain), 49-floor tower in three minutes and 50 seconds to break the previous record of 4.16s set by American Tristan Roth in 2019.
This is Wai Ching’s second gold medal after winning the US Bank Tower Run in Los Angeles on Friday (Sept 30).
The 28-year-old will now look to defend the elite men’s division title he clinched last year at New York’s Empire State Building on Oct 6.
His final competition in the US will be in Florida at the One Tampa City Centre on Oct 8.
Commenting on Sunday’s win, Wai Ching said he was grateful for his record-breaking feat and hopes to deliver another gold in his next run.
“I felt the adrenaline rush to keep going, especially when we entered the observatory stairs... kept going hard, digging deep to cross the finishing line before the four-minute alert. My legs got heavier and heavier with the lactic acid build-up due to a really fast start and I had to hang in there.
“In the end, I managed to cross the finishing line, stopped my watch quickly and collapsed on the floor, trying to catch my breath. I had a peek at my watch and I was so pleased that I clocked 3:50s,“ he said in a statement today.-Bernama
