VIRTUAL TOUR
2024
21 MayUCSI University Hosts Malaysia’s Inaugural Towerrunning Championship
KUALA LUMPUR: The first Malaysia Towerrunning University Championship at UCSI University saw tower running world champion Soh Wai Ching scaling 12 floors with a time of 1 minute and 4 seconds.
Easily besting the competition, the world’s number one tower runner won the Open Individual Men’s category, adding another feather in his cap in what has been a dominant 2024.
His presence at UCSI added star power to the Championship that attracted over 200 contestants – representing 19 nations – from 15 Malaysian higher education institutions.
UCSI deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and Internationalisation) Prof Datuk Dr Rohana Yusof expressed gratitude to the Malaysian Youth and Sports Ministry and the Malaysian Higher Education Ministry for their strong support in making this event possible.
“UCSI has always been committed to the promotion of sports and holistic learning,” she stated in her speech after the competition.
“To date, UCSI has provided more than 150 scholarships to national and state-level athletes.
“We want to support our sportsmen and sportswomen in any way that we can - while they study, as they compete and as they prepare for life after they call time on their competitive careers.”
UCSI also sponsored RM16,800 in cash prizes for the winners of the competition, further demonstrating its dedication to supporting athletic excellence.
The competition also featured three other categories: Open Individual Women, University Men and University Women. Cindy Su Yea Zhen triumphed in the Open Individual Women’s category, completing the race in 1 minute and 25 seconds.
Muhammad Hazim Zuhairi from University Teknologi Mara secured the University Men’s title with a time of 1 minute and 25 seconds.
Esther Joy Chen from Tunku Abdul Rahman University won the University Women’s category, finishing in 1 minute and 24 seconds.
Soh, also the founder of the Malaysian Towerrunnning Association, expressed his satisfaction in witnessing the establishment of a towerrunning championship at a tertiary level in Malaysia.
“When it comes to sports, it’s all about challenging and pushing yourself to be the best, not about beating others,” he said in his speech. “Towerrunning is a relatively new sport in Malaysia, and our goal as an association is to popularise it nationwide.
“Today’s event kickstarts the varsity Championship series, and we are looking forward to hosting the second edition soon.”
UCSI is classified in the world’s top 1% in the QS World University Rankings 2024. Ranked in the top 300, it stands out as one of Asia’s best private universities.
