PETALING JAYA: There is a spring to para long jumper Abdul Latif Romly’s step after the euphoria of hoisting the national flag at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on Thursday.
And the 29-year-old is highly motivated to make a memorable leap in his debut when he features in the T20 (learning disability) long jump event at the Hydro Stadium on Tuesday.
“Being the flag bearer at the opening ceremony was a great honour. I was a bit nervous, but when I saw the crowd and heard Malaysia being announced, it was a wonderful feeling,” said Latif.
“Now, I can’t wait to get started. My spirit is at a high and I want to give my best.”
Latif arrived in Glasgow fresh off a stunning win at the Malaysian Open last month, where he defeated an entire field of able-bodied athletes to clear 7.76m at the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Stadium in Serdang.
He now aims to better his T20 world record of 7.67m which he set at last year’s World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi.
His championship resume stretches back more than a decade – Doha (2015), London (2017), Paris (2023), Kobe (2024) and New Delhi (2025) – a run of dominance that marks him as the greatest T20 long jumper of his generation.
He has also struck Paralympic gold at both the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Games while his personal best of 7.85m in able-bodied competition, set at the 2018 Kuala Lumpur Open, underlines his natural talent.
In Glasgow, Latif will be joined by fellow Malaysian Eljoe Gotuoh, with the pair, along with Canada’s Noah Vucsics, tipped as the ones to beat.
“We haven’t received the start list yet, so I’ll train at the track today and get a clearer picture from there,” Latif said.
“The weather is cold and there’s some rain around, but I’m used to competing in such conditions — I actually enjoy the rain and see it as an advantage.’’
He will also be watching the able-bodied long jump final on Wednesday, keeping a close eye on two athletes in particular.
“Besides the Indian athlete Murali Sreeshankar, the ones I really want to watch are Tajay Gayle of Jamaica and Luvo Manyonga of South Africa, because they consistently jump beyond eight metres.
‘’I want to learn from watching them live as it will be a great experience.”
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