'Iron Man' Scales Malaysia's Highest Peak to Raise Awareness on Rare Disease
Iron Man also promoted the upcoming HobbyCon event in Sabah, Malaysia.
If you thought climbing a mountain was difficult, imagine doing it in a cumbersome ‘armored suit’ that is probably less than ideal for any type of demanding physical activity.
Cosplay enthusiast Yohan Jayasuriya defied the limits recently by reaching the summit of Mount Kinabalu wearing a super hero costume, specifically an Iron Man suit.
Speaking to the New Straits Times, Yohan said this was his second attempt at scaling the peak in costume to qualify for the Malaysia Book of Records after an unsuccessful bid in 2020 due to bad weather.
"I will be wearing a 3kg costume made from polystyrene foam starting from Timpohon gate to the summit and back.
"I am required to record the whole journey including the steps and distance via an application in my handphone," said Yohan before his climb.
Johan, who works as an announcer, has already climbed the mountain 12 times before.
He was one of about 20 climbers from Malaysia, the Philippines, India, United Kingdom, US and the Netherlands who took part in the '10th Annual Expedition of Mount Kinabalu' organised by Coalition Duchenne, a charity to raise awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a rare disease that primarily affects boys.
Since 2011, the expedition has brought more than 750 climbers to Mount Kinabalu.
Sabah, where Mount Kinabalu is located, is the focal point for Coalition Duchenne’s efforts to raise awareness of Duchenne, a fatal, progressive muscle-wasting disease that affects one in every 3,500 boys worldwide.
Mount Kinabalu is the highest peak in the Malay Archipelago, rising to 13,455 feet (4,101 m).
After reaching the summit, Yohan promoted HobbyCon, a youth, hobby and lifestyle convention that is taking place from December 17 to 18, 2022 at the Sabah International Convention Center in Sabah, Malaysia.
It is an event that gathers hobbyists and acts as a platform for young people to showcase their talent, passion and share and spread their hobbies.
HobbyCon, the biggest hobby convention in East Malaysia, aims to bring together fans of various youth cultures like otaku and gamers. For more information, visit HobbyCon’s official website.
