KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak congratulated Abdul Latif Romly for winning the country’s third gold medal at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, setting three world and Paralympic records in the process.
“Three world records in one night, breaking your own record. Abdul Latif Romly, you’re amazing! Congratulations, 3rd gold for #MAS in #Rio2016 #Paralympics #TerbangLatifTerbang,” said the prime minister via his official Twitter account.
Abdul Latif, 19, from Kangar, broke the long jump T20 (learning disability) category with a 7.60m jump in his fifth attempt at the Olympic Stadium in Rio today.
The previous world record of 7.35m was also his own which he set at the IPC World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar last year.
The previous Paralympic record of 7.25m was held by Jose Antonio Exposito Pineiro from Spain. He achieved the feat at the London Paralympic Games in 2012.
Mohamad Ridzuan Mohamad Puzi won the first gold medal for Malaysia in the men’s 100m T36 (cerebral palsy category) dash.
Mohamad Ridzuan clocked 12.07 seconds to erase the old Paralympics record of 12.25s set by Roman Pavlyk from Ukraine at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.
The second gold was delivered by Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli with a new world record in the men’s shot put F20 (learning disability) event.
He hurled the iron ball 16.84m in his fifth attempt to erase the old world record of 16.29m set by Todd Hodgetts of Australia at the London Paralympics in 2012. -- Bernama