KUALA LUMPUR: Abdul Latif Romly's hopes of securing a hat-trick of gold were cruelly dashed after he was forced to settle for silver at the Paris Paralympics yesterday (Sept 7).
Latif led the men's long jump T20 (intellectual impairment) until the very last round on a jump of 7.45 metres (season's best) before Russian Matvei Iakushev, competing under the neutral athlete flag, overtook him for gold with a 7.51m leap at Stade de France.
Colombia's Jhon Obando claimed bronze on 7.38m.
Latif, gold medallist at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, cleared 7.22m, 7.43m and 7.45m on his first three attempts but was deemed to have fouled his last three attempts.
His final attempt, however, appeared to be right on the limit before the foul line and a Malaysian official was seen speaking to the organisers after the attempt. It is, however, unclear if a protest was filed.
Latif, who is known for his cheerful disposition, was nevertheless graceful in defeat and congratulated Iakushev for his win after the event before thanking the crowd while draped in the Jalur Gemilang.
Iakushev had bettered his own personal best by 10cm in the event.
In powerlifting earlier yesterday, Nicodemus Manggoi Moses placed seventh from nine lifters in the men's under-97 kilogramme class.
He cleared 210kg on his first attempt but was unsuccessful at 220kg in his second and third tries.
In road cycling, Adi Raimie Amizazahan (1:56:23s) and Yusof Hafizi Shaharuddin (2:08:46s) settled for 16th and 26th respectively in the men's C1-C3 (physical impairment) road race.
A total of 32 riders had competed in the 71km race.