Abdul Latif to return home only after injury rehab

SEPANG: Despite missing his family dearly, two-time Paralympic gold medalist Abdul Latif Romly (T20 (intellectual impairment) long jump), will have to wait just a little longer before returning to his home in Beseri, Perlis.

After completing his mandatory 14-day quarantine period, the 24-year-old long jump champion wants to undergo rehabilitation for a groin injury that he suffered while attempting his fourth jump during the finals in Tokyo, before returning to meet his parents in October.

"Maybe I will take a week or two to recover. Now my condition is okay, there is only a slight tear of about 2.5 cm. Maybe stage two only, it's not very serious," he said during a brief press conference session at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) upon arriving from Tokyo, yesterday.

Abdul Latif became the only national athlete to have successfully defended his Paralympic gold medal when he won gold with a leap of 7.45m.

Meanwhile, another Tokyo Paralympic gold medalist, Cheah Liek Hou said he was excited to make history when he became the first player ever to win the Paralympic gold in the men's singles SU5 (physical impairment) category as badminton made its debut at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Liek Hou said, however, he could not promise to defend the gold at the 2024 Paris Games, considering the fact he would be 36 at the time.

Commenting on his success of beating main rival Dheva Anrimusthi of Indonesia, who is also the world number one, in the final, Liek Hou said he was helped by his experience of playing in big tournaments.

"Maybe he lost to me because there is too much pressure in big competitions like this," he said.

-- BERNAMA