Paralympian Long Jump
An accomplished para-athlete with multiple gold medals under his belt, Latif Romly is also a two-time Paralympic champion in the men’s long jump T20 category. He clinched his first Paralympic gold medal when he was just 19 years old at the Rio Paralympics in 2016, beating Jose Exposito from Spain, whose 7.37-metre jump had previously remained unrivalled since 2003. Latif was crowned Paralympic champion again when he set another world record at the Tokyo Paralympics 2020.
Hailing from Beseri, Perlis, Latif is the youngest of seven children in his family. He first got involved in sports when he was six years old, when he would jog and jump with his sister when he followed her to school. Latif was an active child and was already winning medals for various sports while still in school and took up long jump in 2008 during a school meet.
Latif’s international debut in 2014 saw him representing Malaysia and winning the gold medal in the Asian Para Games in Incheon, Korea. He went on to win gold medals at the ASEAN Para Games 2015, the IPC Athletics World Championships 2015, and the 18th Sukan Malaysia (SUKMA) 2016. He won the gold medal at 2016 Rio Paralympics, breaking not just the world record but also his personal best—three times, with his 7.47-, 7.54- and 7.60-metre jumps.
Latif was also the gold medal winner at the London World Para Athletics Championships 2017; and in 2018 he again exceeded his personal best and won the gold medal at the Indonesia Asian Para Games with a record of 7.64 metres. After a number of missed championships in 2019 due to an injured knee, Latif returned as a gold medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Awards
2022
Gold, ASEAN Para Games
2021
Gold, Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
2019
Silver, World Para Athletics Championships
2018
Gold, Asian Para Games
2017
Gold, World Para Athletics Championships
2017
Gold, Asian Para Games
2016
Sportsman of the Year, Malaysia Sports Awards
2016
Gold, SUKMA
2016
Gold, 2016 Paralympics
2015
Gold, IPC Athletics World Championships
2015
Gold, ASEAN Para Games
2014
Gold, ASEAN Para Games
Did You Know?
Latif Romly was the first Paralympian to be named Sportsman of the Year Award by the National Sports Awards.