Latvia’s Edgars Bergs earned himself an early birthday present Sept. 14, winning a silver medal in the shot put during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Bergs, who turned 24 on Sept. 15, placed second in the F35/36 classification, which is for diplegic athletes. The best throw for the Saldus, Latvia, resident was his last, traveling 15.54 meters and earning 1,075 points, according to the official Web site of the Beijing Paralympic Games.

Wei Guo of China set a world record in the F35 class with a distance of 16.22 meters, earning 1,122 points and the gold medal. The bronze went to Pawel Piotrowski of Poland, who set a world record in the F36 class.

The competition took place in National Stadium in the Chinese capital.

Bergs’ medal is the third for Latvian athletes in the Beijing Paralympic Games. Aigars Apinis won a gold in the discus throw on Sept. 8 and took silver in his class in the shot put on Sept. 12.

Apinis and Bergs also were medal winners in the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.

The Beijing Paralympic Games continue through Sept. 17.