Aigars Apinis (born 9 June 1973) is a
Latvian athlete. He participates in F52 class which means he has limited finger movement and no trunk or leg function.
On July 3, 1992, he suffered a severe
cervical vertebrae
In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. In saurop ...
injury while jumping into the water.
He started to practice in 1998, but already at the
2000 Summer Paralympics
The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games or the XI Summer Paralympics were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, between 18 and 29 October. The Sydney Paralympics was the last time that the Summer Paralympics were organized by two different Organ ...
he won two bronze medals – in
discus throw
The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...
and
shot put
The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...
. At the
2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics (), the 12th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Athens, Greece, from 17 to 28 September ...
he became the Olympic champion in discus throw and was 4th in shot put. Apinis won the gold medal in
discus throw
The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...
at the
2016 Summer Paralympics
The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for disabled sports, athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, f ...
. At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, he won a bronze medal in
Men's discus throw F52.
Career
In the fall of 2010 Apinis created resonance in the society, by stating that he is ready to sell his
2000 Sydney Paralympics bronze medal (first paralympic medal in the history of Latvia) in an auction, in order to provide
Latvian Paralympic Committee with funds, which would allow Latvian delegation to participate in the
2011 IPC Athletics World Championships.
At the 2011 IPC (International Paralympic Committee) World Championships in New Zealand, Apinis won the gold medal in the shot put F52/53 category, also setting a new world record
for his category.
References
External links
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1973 births
Living people
People from Aizkraukle
Latvian male discus throwers
Latvian male shot putters
World record holders in para-athletics
Paralympic athletes for Latvia
Paralympic gold medalists for Latvia
Paralympic silver medalists for Latvia
Paralympic bronze medalists for Latvia
Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field)
Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the World Para Athletics Championships
Medalists at the World Para Athletics European Championships
World Para Athletics Championships winners
Wheelchair discus throwers
Wheelchair shot putters
Paralympic discus throwers
Paralympic shot putters
{{Paralympic-medalist-stub