Latvia at the Paralympics

Summary

Latvia, following its independence from the Soviet Union, made its Paralympic Games début at the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona, with a delegation of two athletes (Armands Lizbovskis and Aldis Supulnieks) in track and field. It then sent Supulnieks as its sole representative to the 1994 Winter Paralympics, for its Winter Games début. (He competed in cross-country skiing.) Latvia has taken part in every subsequent edition of the Summer Paralympics, but missed the 1998 and 2002 Winter Games, appearing with a one-man delegation in 2006, before being absent again in 2010.[1]

Latvia at the
Paralympics
IPC codeLAT
NPCLatvian Paralympic Committee
Websitewww.lpkomiteja.lv (in Latvian)
Medals
Gold
5
Silver
7
Bronze
8
Total
20
Summer appearances
Winter appearances
Other related appearances
 Soviet Union (1988)

Latvians have won a total of 20 Paralympic medals, of which five gold, seven silver and eight bronze. All these medals have been won at the Summer Games, and all in track and field.[2]

The country obtained its first medals in 2000 in Sydney, when Aigars Apinis took bronze in both the discus and the shot put (F52 category). Latvia's third medal of the Sydney Games was also a bronze, through Armands Lizbovskis in the long jump (F13). These were Lizbovskis' third and last Games. In 2004, Apinis became Latvia's first Paralympic champion when he won the F52 discus event, establishing a new Paralympic record with a throw of 18.98m. At the same Games, Edgars Bergs took silver in the shot put and bronze in the discus (F35). In 2008, Apinis and Bergs were again Latvia's sole medal winners. The former won gold in the discus (with a world record throw of 20.47m) and silver in the shot put (F33/34/52), while the latter also won silver in the shot put (F35/36). Until, the 2016 Games, Apinis remained as Latvia's only Paralympic champion to date.[3]

Medal tallies edit

Summer Paralympics edit

Event Gold Silver Bronze Total Ranking
1992 Summer Paralympics 0 0 0 0 -
1996 Summer Paralympics 0 0 0 0 -
2000 Summer Paralympics 0 0 3 3 63rd
2004 Summer Paralympics 1 1 1 3 52nd
2008 Summer Paralympics 1 2 0 3 45th
2012 Summer Paralympics 1 1 0 2 47th
2016 Summer Paralympics 2 0 2 4 45th
2020 Summer Paralympics 0 3 2 5 66th
Total: 5 7 8 20

Winter Paralympics edit

Event Gold Silver Bronze Total Ranking
1994 Winter Paralympics 0 0 0 0 -
2006 Winter Paralympics 0 0 0 0 -

List of medalists edit

Summer Olympics edit

Medal Name Games Sport Event
  Bronze Aigars Apinis 2000 Sydney   Athletics Men's discus throw F52
  Bronze Armands Ližbovskis 2000 Sydney   Athletics Men's long jump F13
  Bronze Aigars Apinis 2000 Sydney   Athletics Men's shot put F52
  Gold Aigars Apinis 2004 Athens   Athletics Men's discus throw F52
  Silver Edgars Bergs 2004 Athens   Athletics Men's shot put F35
  Bronze Edgars Bergs 2004 Athens   Athletics Men's discus throw F35
  Gold Aigars Apinis 2008 Beijing   Athletics Men's discus throw F33/F34/F52
  Silver Aigars Apinis 2008 Beijing   Athletics Men's shot put F33/F34/F52
  Silver Edgars Bergs 2008 Beijing   Athletics Men's shot put F35/F36
  Gold Aigars Apinis 2012 London   Athletics Men's shot put F52-53
  Silver Aigars Apinis 2012 London   Athletics Men's discus throw F51-53
  Gold Aigars Apinis 2016 Rio de Janeiro   Athletics Men's discus throw F51-52
  Gold Diāna Dadzīte 2016 Rio de Janeiro   Athletics Women's javelin throw F55-56
  Bronze Edgars Bergs 2016 Rio de Janeiro   Athletics Men's shot put F35
  Bronze Diāna Dadzīte 2016 Rio de Janeiro   Athletics Women's discus throw F55

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Latvia at the Paralympics, International Paralympic Committee
  2. ^ Latvia at the Paralympics, International Paralympic Committee
  3. ^ Latvia at the Paralympics, International Paralympic Committee