KUALA LUMPUR: Elite paralympian athlete Abdul Latif Romly and silat exponent Siti Rahmah Mohamed Nasir were crowned as 2016 National Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year at the National Sports Award, here on Wednesday night.
Abdul Latif, 20, created history by becoming the first paralympic athlete in the country to have been bestowed the award.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V presented the trophies, certificate and cash prize of RM20,000 to Abdul Latif and Siti Rahmah, respectively.
Also present was Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
Abdul Latif from Perlis was chosen based on his outstanding achievement after clinching Malaysia’s third gold medal and setting a new world record at the Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games last year.
He was the gold medallist in the men’s long jump T20 (learning disability) and broke his own world record with a jump of 7.6m in the Rio Paralympic Games, erasing his previous world record of 7.35m which he had set at the IPC World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar in 2015.
The previous Paralympic Games record of 7.25m was set by Jose Antonio Exposito Pineiro of Spain at the 2012 London Olympics.
The three new world records set by the athlete from Kampung Paya Kelubi, Bukit Keteri in Arau, started with a jump of 7.47m in his second attempt after the first was disqualified for a technical error.
Abdul Latif continued to improve in his next jump with 7.54m and his fifth (7.60m).
Meanwhile, Siti Rahmah is an experienced silat exponent who has always displayed a consistent performance in every championship she took part.
The 30-year-old from Terengganu accomplished a hat trick of titles at the 17th Edition of the World Pencak Silat Championships in Bali, Indonesia, last December.
Last year, Siti Rahmah had also bagged gold medals at the Netherlands Open World Silat Championships and the South East Asia Silat Championships here.
Meanwhile, woman paralympian Siti Noor Radiah Ismail took home trophies, certificate and a cash of RM20,000 after she was crowned the National Paralympic Sportswoman.
The 24-year-old athlete from Segamat, Johor clinched bronze in the women’s long jump T20 at the Rio Paralympic Games.
She recorded a jump of 5.20 metres in her third attempt to simultaneously break her Asia Para Games record of 5.10 metres in Incheon, South Korea in 2014.
The event also saw Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPC) patron, Tun Jeanne Abdullah and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president, Tan Sri Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar bestowed the Sports Personality awards for their contributions in the development of sports in the country. – Bernama
LIST OF AWARD RECIPIENTS:
1. National Sportsman: Abdul Latif Romly (Athletics – Paralympic)
2. National Sportswoman: Siti Rahmah Mohamed Nasir (Silat)
3. National Paralympic Sportsman: None
4. National Paralympic Sportswoman : Siti Noor Radiah Ismail (Athletics – Paralympics)
5. National Team (Men’s): Tan Wee Kiong/Goh V Shem (Badminton)
6. National Team (Women’s): Pandelela Rinong/Cheong Jun Hoong (Diving)
7. National Coach (Male): R. Jaganathan (Athletics – Paralympic)
8. National Coach (Female): Chin Eei Hui (Badminton)
9. Sports Leadership Awards: Tan Sri Mohd Ali Mohd Rustam (PESAKA) and N. Shanmugarajah (MGF)
10. Sports Personality Awards: Tun Jeanne Abdullah (MPC) and Tan Sri Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar (OCM)
11. Special Awards: Datuk Dina Rizal (Sports Unite) and Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani (Sarawak State Secretary)
