September 06, 2012
Aigars Apinis of Latvia has added another medal to his collection, earning a silver in the discus throw at the 2012 London Paralympics. The 39-year-old athlete also set a new world record.
Competing in the Sept. 6 event, Apinis threw the discus a distance of 21.0 meters, which set the new world record for the F52 classification. Apinis competes in the F51/52/53 category, which is for athletes who throw from a seated position in a wheelchair.
The gold medal went to Mohamed Berrahal of Algeria, who scored a total of 1,093 points in the event. Apinis had 1,010 points for the silver. The bronze medal was earned by Mohamed Zemzemi of Tunisia with 917 points.
This is the fourth time Apinis has medaled in the event. In 2000 during the Sydney Paralympics, he earned a bronze medal. In 2004, he won a gold medal in the Athens games. In 2008, he won another gold during the Beijing games.
In London, Apinis also claimed the gold medal—and another world record—in the Aug. 31 shot put event for the F52 classification.
The 2012 London Paralympics began Aug. 29 and run through Sept. 9.
Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000-2012 he was editor of the website.
