PETALING JAYA: Twelve years of waiting will finally come to an end for national para long jump star Abdul Latif Romly when he competes in the T20 event at the Commonwealth Games for the first time today at the Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow.
The 29-year-old, who missed out on the opportunity in the previous two editions because the event was not on the programme, is determined to mark the occasion in style.
“This is the first time my event is being contested at the Commonwealth Games,” said Latif.
“I’ve waited through two editions when it was not included, and this year the T20 category has finally been added.”
Latif now hopes to celebrate the long-awaited debut with a gold medal and a new para world record.
“I want to give my best because this event may not be featured again in future editions.
“If possible, I want to achieve a jump of 7.80m or more,” he added.
While the Ahmedabad 2030 organising committee have confirmed that para athletics will remain part of the Commonwealth Games programme, it remains uncertain whether the T20 long jump event will be retained.
The 29-year-old from Perlis arrives in Glasgow as the reigning 7.67m world record holder, a two-time Paralympic champion and a five-time world champion in the T20 category.
Latif comes into the Games in red-hot form, having stunned the field at the Malaysian Open last month with a 7.76m leap to beat a field of able-bodied athletes at the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Stadium in Serdang.
He then went on to dominate the Kedah Open with a 7.94m jump, eclipsing a 29-year-old national meet record held by Malaysian legend Zaki Sadri late last month.
He will be aiming to surpass his own T20 world record of 7.67m, which he set at last year’s World Championships in New Delhi.
He will compete in the event together with his teammate Eljoe Gotuoh.
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