PARIS: Although his athlete completed the competition just yesterday, Paralympic long jump coach Shahrul Amri Suhaimi is set to collaborate with the National Sports Council to devise a plan to help Datuk Abdul Latif Romly reclaim the T20 men's long jump gold (intellectual disability) at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles (LA2028).
Shahrul Amri emphasised the need to develop an optimal programme for his athlete, who missed out on the gold medal after being narrowly edged out by Neutral's representative, Matvei Iakushev, at the Stade de France.
"We understand that the winning athlete is still young and promising, but we must intensify our efforts to formulate the best plan for Latif Romly over the next four years," he said.
Despite leading the competition from the outset, Shahrul Amri acknowledged that unexpected outcomes can occur, as evidenced by Iakushev's final attempt of 7.51 metres, which dashed Abdul Latif's hopes of a hat-trick.
Abdul Latif achieved his personal best of 7.45 metres on his third attempt, surpassing his season's best of 7.30 metres from the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan.
Though Abdul Latif secured the silver medal, Shahrul Amri expressed pride in his athlete's perseverance and spirit, particularly given his battle with an injury to his left stomach muscle.
"I hope Latif recovers swiftly from his injury. I also extend my gratitude to the Malaysians for their unwavering support," he said.