Fall does not deter Wai Ching from bagging 12th victory

Two mishaps did not stop Malaysian Soh Wai Ching from racing to his 12th consecutive win in the Dubai Holding Skyrun yesterday at Jumeirah Emirates Towers with a time of 6:53.00.

Wai Ching had set a new course record despite colliding with another runner and falling down some steps.

“A runner saw me make a left turn behind him, he quickly turned in and knocked me with a pretty strong force that almost made me fall,” said Wai Ching

“Then, when I got into the stairs, I slipped on the floor mat right before the first step and fell down completely. Luckily, I wasn’t caught in a stampede.”

Running in the elite category, Wai Ching climbed 1,334 stairs at the 52-storey Jumeirah Emirates Towers to beat 19 others to become the overall champion.

The Dubai Holding Skyrun 2022 saw the participation of 250 competitors from 40 countries, aged 16 to 78.

“I’m happy with the outing despite the two incidents. I hope to be much faster and stronger next year,” he added.

Japan’s Ryoji Watanabe won the silver medal while Fabio Ruga from Italy took the bronze medal.