KUALA LUMPUR: The ‘Negaraku’ played yet again in the Rio Paralympics with Malaysia's third gold medal, won by long jumper Abdul Latif Romly.
With a phenomenal jump that broke the world record thrice for the T20 (Intellectual Disabilities) Men’s Long Jump event, Latif cemented his place in sporting history with 7.60m on his third jump, breaking the earlier records set by himself.
Charged with the hashtag #terbanglatifterbang, streams of encouragement and support from Malaysian fans flooded social media, as the nation cheered for what had bee a masterclass display of determination, grit and courage.
“Third gold. Broke world record three times. Stunning. Well done @latifromly!” wrote @dimishtra on Twitter.
Another Twitter user @syazwansalleh expressed pride for the long jump great, dubbing him ‘The Flying Malaysian’.
“This is what happens when you play for your country. Not for yourself. Proud of you, Latif. The Flying Malaysian!”
Latif’s record also struck a happy chord with Twitter user @syahrizalazmi, who cracked a joke on the athlete’s conversation with his long jump coach.
“Coach: Latif, try to break a world record today.
Latif: No problem coach, how many times?”
On Facebook, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin was ecstatic, having already been awed by the stellar performance of athletes representing the nation at Rio Paralympics.
“Third medal for Malaysia! Broke the world record THREE times. Yes, three. Nothing else to write. Latif Romly, you are a LEGEND! Totally extraordinary SUPER HUMAN!”
One of the favourites to score gold at the Rio Paralympics 2016, the extraordinary 19-year-old from Beseri, Perlis, had earlier won gold at the International Paralympics Committee (IPC) Athletics World Championship in Qatar last year. His win had propelled Malaysia’s medal count at the Paralympics to three gold medals.