Selangor Journal
National para-athlete Datuk Abdul Latif Romly preparing for the men’s T20 (intellectual disability) long jump event of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, at the Aréna Porte de La Chapelle in Paris, France, on September 7, 2024. — Picture via FACEBOOK/MAJLIS SUKAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

Latif Romly says abdominal muscle injury affected Paris performance

PARIS, Sept 8 — 2024 Paris Paralympic Games silver medallist Datuk Abdul Latif Romly claimed that an abdominal muscle injury on his left side suffered since Wednesday (September 4) had affected his momentum to hunt for a hat-trick of T20 men’s long jump gold (intellectual disability) gold in the Games.

He had to settle for silver with a jump of 7.45m while Matvei Lakushev’s final jump of 7.51m saw the Neutral Paralympic Athlete snatch the gold from him which he had won at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 editions.

Latif said he began to detect the injury while undergoing training here. which resulted in difficulty breathing while making jumps throughout the action at the Stade de France.

“Losing and winning is customary in competition, anything can happen even in the last jump, I was feeling stressed but (am) satisfied with today’s result.

“A week before the competition I was confident, in training, I had done 7.60m and above, but last Wednesday my left stomach muscle was pulled, it really hurt,” he said right after the medal presentation ceremony yesterday.

The 27-year-old said the injury somewhat affected his confidence after realising that Lakushev was capable of giving him fierce opposition in Paris 2024 after his opponent ranked first this year.

Lakushev previously had only a season-best record by doing 7.41m at a tournament in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in June while Latif Romly was in second place with a distance of 7.30m when he won gold at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, in May.

After successfully completing three early jumps, Latif’s performance was slightly affected with the last three attempts being cancelled.

However, the four-time world champion is confident that his fifth jump will go beyond 7.50m and above if it is not cancelled.

In the meantime, Latif, the world record holder of 7.64m which was set during the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, is determined to get back up and snatch the gold from Lakushev at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

Though his gold medal was snatched away, he still wants to dedicate his silver medal to family members including his beloved wife Datin Nurul Nabila Farhana Musaidi, who came to Paris to support him.

— Bernama

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