Datuk Abdul Latif Romly

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.