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Cover Story
12 ~ FireFlyz
T
he
2016 Rio Paralympics
sawMalaysia being thrust
into the limelight as her
athletes won three gold
medals and one bronze,
also setting a newworld record in the
men’s shot put F20 (intellectual disability)
final.
Abdul Latif Bin Romly’s performance
in theMen’s Long Jump T20 (disability in
track and jump events) of 7.6mhad Youth
and SportsMinister Khairy Jamaluddin
Tweeting, “Just to put Latif ’s paralympic
world record into context …The able-
bodiedMalaysian national long jump
record is 7.88metres.Wow!”
These athletes gave it their all, showing
true grit and determination. They did not
let anything stop themas they chased
their dreams, battling through injuries
and illness. It is nowonder that these
sportsmen andwoman havewormed
their way into the hearts of a nation.
ReubenMiranda had the opportunity to
meet some of themand it looks like there
is no stopping these determined people
who refuse to let anything get in their way.
MohamadRidzuanBinMohamad
Puzi (Gold: AthleticsMen’s 100M
- T36)
This youngman is not nicknamed “Mr.
Dash” for no reason. He is fast. Very fast.
His blazing fast performance at the
IPCWorld Athletics Championships in
Doha brought himto the attention of
Malaysians.
Hewas born on Sept 27,1987 to
Mohamad Puzi MohamadMat Isa and
Laila Ali in Padang Besar, Perlis,Malaysia.
The second of three children, hewas
diagnosedwith cerebral palsy at the age
of one. He never let this stop him from
chasing his dreams though.
He had a very adventurous childhood
and loved to cycle and just hang out in
For any athlete, securing a spot at the Olympics is already an honour. Whether they
take home a medal or not, the fact that they are representing their country in this arena
automatically makes them winners.
Hardwork and determination
paid off in abundence for this
youngman.
Known as “Mr. Dash”,
he is fast ... very fast.
In The Hearts Of A Nation
the jungle that was near his house. He
found the jungle to be an oasis of calm
andwould often go there just to ease his
mind. Taking part in a school meet while
hewas attending Sekolah Pedidikan
Khas in Perlis led to a life changing event
whenwas talent spotted by Affizam
Amdan, whowas a volunteer coach at
that time.
He said that though hewas directed
by his coach, Affizam, towards being a
sprinter, he is “very passionate about his
sport” andmotivates himself. His free
time sees himat the cinema or going
bowling, and cheekily admits that “I
always lose tomy friends!”