KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s para long jumper champion, Datuk Abdul Latif Romly, has said that winning a gold medal is no longer his target at the upcoming Paris Paralympic Games. Instead, he wants to set a higher standard by breaking his own world record.
Latif, who competes in the T20 category (intellectual impairment), currently holds the world record with a jump of 7.64 metres, which he achieved at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Para Games.
After six years, Latif is still striving to surpass his own record, but has been unsuccessful so far, including at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe last May, where he won gold with a jump of 7.30m.
“In reality, I have changed my mindset for this Paralympic Games. I no longer aim for a gold medal. Instead, I target to achieve a distance of 7.6m or more to break the world record.
“I made this decision because every time at the World Championships or Paralympic Games, I always win a gold medal, and I feel pressured. So I decided to change my approach, focusing on the distance and improving my jumping technique to reduce that pressure.
“One of the factors contributing to this pressure is the fact that I have won too many gold medals, and I feel it, and the public keeps talking about it.
“I myself have decided on this approach because back in the Rio Paralympic Games, I did not aim for a gold medal, instead I targeted the distance, and I want my mindset this time to be like how it was in 2016,” said Latif to Scoop.
In Rio, Latif not only won the gold medal but also put up a stunning performance by breaking the world record three times during the competition day, sealing it with a jump of 7.60m.
However, the dream of witnessing Latif challenge some of the country’s best athletes at the Malaysia Open Athletics Championships this weekend did not materialise when he decided to focus his training on the Paris Paralympics.
The Malaysia Open Athletics Championships this weekend will last for three days, starting from June 14 at the Darul Makmur Stadium, Kuantan, which will gather athletes not only from throughout Southeast Asia but also from Australia, Namibia, and Russia.
“In fact, if I could, I really wanted to participate in the Malaysia Open this weekend, but unfortunately, I have just resumed my training two weeks ago after the conclusion of the World Para Athletics Championships last month.
“If I were to compete, I might fail to achieve a satisfying result and risk getting injured.
“So I think it’s better for me to just focus on my training for the upcoming Paris Paralympic Games, which will take place soon,” he added. – June 10, 2024