Of the six attempts made by Apinis, four were counted, and in the best – the fourth attempt – the discus reached 20.62 meters, which is also his best result of the season, thus taking second place in his seventh Paralympic Games.
Aigars Apinis wins a medal at the Paris Paralympic Games
The winner was Rigivan Ganeshamoorthy representing Italy, who set a new world record by throwing the discus an incredible 27.06 meters – a distance so far in excess of the rest of the field as to raise questions.
Apinis and his coach Andris Smočs, in an interview at the end of the competition to Latvian Television, expressed doubts as to whether Ganeshamoorthy was competing in the correct class. Ganeshamoorthy's participation was protested and there is a possibility that the top three will change.
Brazil's Andre Rocha won the bronze medal, throwing the discus 19.48 meters in his best attempt.
Apinis is the most decorated Paralympian of all time, participating in his seventh Paralympic Games. He is a three-time Paralympic discus champion with gold medals in 2004 in Athens, 2008 in Beijing and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. In the discus throw, Apinis has also earned silver in 2012 in London and bronze in 2021 in Tokyo. The 51-year-old athlete also has a full set of Paralympic medals in the shot put.
At the Paris Paralympic Games, which will last until September 8, Latvia will be represented by eight athletes.
