Malaysia's Soh Wai Ching crowned winner in Dubai Holding SkyRun

Soh Wai Ching of Malaysia was crowned the fastest elite male runner in the 17th edition of Dubai Holding SkyRun, for racing 52 floors of the iconic Jumeirah Emirates Towers in six minutes and 52 seconds.

“I’m so happy to be in Dubai and claim the title of the first ever Stairclimbing World Champion today, with a new record time. My ambition is to come back for Dubai Fitness Challenge next year and climb the 30 tallest towers in the emirate over 30 days," said Ching.

Yuri Yoshizumi of Japan won in the female elite category in 8 minutes 14 seconds.

The winning team, First Collection Team B tackled the 1,334 steps in only 17 minutes and 14 seconds.

Seventy-eight-year-old Giovanni Potenza of Italy completed the race an incredible four times consecutively, setting another record in the race’s history and breaking his own record – he completed the course three times in 2019.

He completed his first lap in 13 minutes and 49 seconds, his second lap in 15 minutes and 1 second, his third lap in 15 minutes and 56 seconds, and his last lap in 15 minutes and 55 seconds, finishing four laps of the course in 60 minutes and 1 second.

"What is most important in a challenge like this is your mental state – you have to tell yourself, ‘I can do this.’ I was ready to climb 208 flights because I have been training for 250. What really matters is what you eat, training every day and resting. You have to rest hard and rest well. Next year I will do even better," he said.

The Dubai Holding SkyRun stands out among the world’s highest skyscraper races and the only official stairclimbing race in Dubai. It was held in partnership with the International Skyrunning Federation, Dubai Sports Council and Al Jalila Foundation. 

The race witnessed the participation of hundreds of runners, including 12 teams, 19 international elite runners and 81 female runners. The runners hailed from 40 countries and ranged in age from 16 to 78. 

Proceeds from the run will be donated to Al Jalila Foundation’s Majlis Al Amal.