Just in case you’ve been living under a rock… the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics which started on August 20th has finally come to an end!
And Malaysians can now heave a huge sigh of relief after the national contingent met the three-gold target at the Paralympics over the weekend!
However, it was a long wait right before Abdul Latif Romly contributed gold number three in the Para Athletics Men’s Long Jump T20 (intellectual impairment) event at the Olympics Stadium.
Latif did not wait long to confirm his second gold after the Rio 2016 edition, when he leapt 7.26 metres before jumping even further, 7.45m in his second attempt to leave his rivals trailing far behind.
However, the Perlis born para athlete could not complete his sixth and final attempt due to a leg injury he sustained right after his 5.56m attempt.
According to BERNAMA, the injury was so bad that he had to leave the field in a wheelchair accompanied by medical personnel for further treatment. Thankfully, the gold was already in the bag for Malaysia by then.
Earlier, six-time world champion Cheah Liek Hou created history at the Yoyogi National Stadium when he became the first shuttler to win gold in the Para Badminton Men’s Singles SU5 (physical impairment) event, following badminton’s debut in the Tokyo Paralympics.
The world number two defeated his nemesis and top seed Anrimusthi Dheva of Indonesia 21-17, 21-15 in the final for Malaysia’s second gold medal.
It’s like watching Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan all over again!
Malaysia had won the first gold medal through powerlifter Bonnie Bunyau Gustin in the Powerlifting Men’s 72kg event on August 28th while Jong Yee Khie (powerlifting) and Chew Wei Lun (boccia) chipped in with a silver each.
Meanwhile, the slippery surfaces of the track due to rain at the Olympic Stadium had crushed Mohamad Ridzuan Mohamad Puzi’s dream of defending his gold win at Rio 2016.
Competing in the Para Athletics Men’s 100m T36 (physical impairment) final, Mohamad Ridzuan, who ran well in the first 60m, admitted that the slippery track conditions caused him to almost fall in the last 10m of the race before he ended up in forth place.
Meanwhile, injury forced another national athlete, Wong Kar Gee to withdraw on the fourth jump of the Para Athletics Men’s Long Jump T13 (vision impairment) event in his Paralympic debut.
Yup, A LOT happened on the last day of the Paralympics in case you missed it. But all in all, we are so proud of our athletes for their time and energy in representing Malaysia at the Paralympics.
Thank you athletes, for everything that you have done for our country!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
