PETALING JAYA, Jan 2 — World No. 1 tower runner Soh Wai Ching kicked off 2026 in record-breaking fashion, becoming the first athlete to complete the 54-storey Cinda International Financial Centre Run Up in Shanxi, China, in under eight minutes.
The Malaysian star clocked seven minutes and 49 seconds (7:49), slashing nearly a minute off the previous course record of 8:48. China’s Xue Jian Dong, ranked world No. 12, finished second in 8:01, and former record holder Han Shi Ming was third in 8:22, the New Straits Times (NST) reported.
Soh wrote on his Facebook page: “Happy New Year! First competition of the year and celebrated it with good news here in China. Excited to go back home and celebrate the joy with my wife and my little one.”
According to NST, the fourth edition of the Cinda International Financial Centre Run Up drew over 500 competitors, with Soh’s win giving Malaysia its first international sporting triumph of 2026.
Soh also outlined his 2026 Towerrunning Tour schedule, which includes the Shenzhen Ping An Finance Centre International Vertical Marathon in January, the Taipei 101 Run Up in May, the KL Tower Run Up in June, and The Sky Race @ Merdeka 118 in August.
“With all these, I will maintain my No. 1 Ranking by end of the year!” he shared in his post.
