Aigars Apinis

Aigars Apinis (born 9 June 1973, in Aizkraukle) is a Latvian athlete. He participates in F52 class which means he has limited finger movement and no trunk or leg function.

Aigars Apinis

Apinis in 2015
Personal information
Nationality	Latvian
Born	(1973-06-09) 9 June 1973 Aizkraukle, Latvia
Sport
Country	Latvia
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Shot put Discus throw
Coached by	Aldi Supulnieks
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finals	2000, 2004, 2008,2012, 2016 2020
Medal record Men's para-athletics Representing Latvia Paralympic Games 2004 Athens Discus throw F52 2008 Beijing Discus throw F33–34/52 2012 London Shot put F52/53 2016 Rio de Janeiro Discus throw F51/52 2008 Beijing Shot put F33–34/52 2012 London Discus throw F51–F53 2000 Sydney Discus throw F52 2000 Sydney Shot put F52 2020 Tokyo Discus throw F52 World Championships 2002 Lille Discus – F52 2006 Assen Discus – F52 2011 Christchurch Discus – F52/53/54 2011 Christchurch Shot put – F52/53 2013 Lyons Shot put – F52/53 2015 Doha Discus – F52 2019 Dubai Discus – F52 2017 London Discus throw – F52 2023 Paris Discus – F52 2006 Assen Shot put – F52 2013 Lyons Discus – F52 European Championships 2014 Swansea Discus throw – F52

He started to practice in 1998, but already at the 2000 Summer Paralympics he won two bronze medals – in discus throw and shot put. At the 2004 Summer Paralympics he became the Olympic champion in discus throw and was 4th in shot put. Apinis won the gold medal in discus throw at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. 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.

External links

• Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 2008-09-11)
• Aigars Apinis at the International Paralympic Committee
• Aigars Apinis at IPC.InfostradaSports.com (archived)