Kuala Lumpur: National tower run ace Soh Wai Ching dreams of killing two birds with one stone as he bids to conquer Merdeka 118 in December.
Apart from completing the climb up the 118-storey tower – the second tallest building in the world – Wai Ching hopes to break two Guinness World Records – highest vertical height stair climb in one hour (male) and fastest vertical mile stair climb (male).
Spaniard Christian Roberto Lopez Rodriguez is the record holder in the highest vertical height stair climb in one hour after climbing 1.457km at a building in Albacete, Spain in 2022, while Ryoji Watanabe of Japan is the fastest man to complete the vertical mile stair climb in 1:06.58s at the Tokyo Skytree Tower in 2020.
“I was told that the height from the ground floor to the 118th floor is 510m, so I need to climb it three times to break the record set by the Spaniard.
“Then, I need to complete several more runs to clock under Watanabe’s time of 1:06.58s for the second world record,” he said on Bernama Radio’s “Bicara Lelaki” programme here today.
He plans to visit Merdeka 118 in July to make sure of the total number of steps he will need to make to complete the run. He said he hopes to start training there in October.
The 29-year-old said a world-renowned hotel that is set to operate at Merdeka 118 is also interested in sponsoring him and will arrange a meeting with Merdeka 118 owner Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) to obtain permission for Soh to try breaking the world records.
Wai Ching also said he is confident he can retain his position as the world’s top-ranked tower runner in the Towerrunning World Championships as he is way ahead in terms of points accumulated.
He has gained 971 points as of March, with his closest challengers being Watanabe (771 points) and Italian Fabio Ruga (626).
Wai Ching is preparing for two local competitions this weekend before travelling to Poland and Germany for competitions there next week.
