Latvia at the Olympics
Template:Infobox Olympics Latvia Latvia first participated at the Olympic Games in 1924. After the nation was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940, Latvian athletes competed for the Soviet Union at the Olympics between 1952 and 1988. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and independence of Latvia in 1991, the nation returned to the Olympic Games in 1992 and has competed at every Games since then.
Latvian athletes have won a total of seventeen medals at the Summer Olympic Games and three medals at the Winter Olympic Games. They have won a remarkably high proportion of silver medals, with three gold medals. These totals do not include medals won by Latvian athletes while competing for the Soviet Union.
The National Olympic Committee for Latvia was first created in 1922. The current NOC is the Latvian Olympic Committee, which was recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1991.
Notes
At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Haralds Silovs became the first athlete in Olympic history to participate in both short track (1500m) and long track (5000m) speed skating, and the first to compete in two different disciplines on the same day.[1][2][3][4]
Medalists
Summer Olympics
Winter Olympics
| Medal | Name | Games | Sport | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bronze |
Mārtiņš Rubenis |  2006 Turin |
Luge | Men's singles |
 Silver |
Andris Šics Juris Šics |
 2010 Vancouver |
Luge | Doubles |
| Silver |
Martins Dukurs | 2010 Vancouver |
Skeleton | Men's |
| Bronze |
Andris Šics Juris Šics |
 2014 Sochi |
Luge | Doubles |
| Bronze |
Mārtiņš Rubenis Elīza Tīruma Andris Šics Juris Šics |
2014 Sochi |
Luge | Team relay |
| Silver |
Martins Dukurs | 2014 Sochi |
Skeleton | Men's |
Medal tables
Medals by Summer Games
| 1900–1912 | as part of the  Russian Empire (RU1)
| |||||
| 1924 Paris | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1928 Amsterdam | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1932 Los Angeles | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1936 Berlin | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1952–1988 | as part of the  Soviet Union (URS)
| |||||
| 1992 Barcelona | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 1996 Atlanta | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2000 Sydney | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 2004 Athens | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2008 Beijing | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 2012 London | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Total | 3 | 11 | 5 | 19 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Medals by Winter Games
| 1924 Chamonix | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1928 St. Moritz | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1932 Lake Placid | did not participate | |||
| 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1952–1988 | as part of the Soviet Union (URS)
| |||
| 1992 Albertville | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 Lillehammer | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 Nagano | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 Salt Lake City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 Turin | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2010 Vancouver | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2014 Sochi | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Total | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Medals by sport
| Cycling | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Gymnastics | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Athletics | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Canoeing | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Luge | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Weightlifting | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Modern pentathlon | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Shooting | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Wrestling | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Skeleton | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Judo | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Beach volleyball | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 3 | 14 | 8 | 25 |
|---|
List of gold medal winners
| No. | Name | Sport | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the Soviet Union | |||
| 1 | Inese Jaunzeme | Javelin throw | 1956 |
| 2 | Elvīra Ozoliņa | Javelin throw | 1960 |
| 3 | Ivans Bugajenkovs | Volleyball | 1964 |
| 4 | Staņislavs Lugailo | Volleyball | 1964 |
| 5 | Ivans Bugajenkovs | Volleyball | 1968 |
| 6 | Oļegs Antropovs | Volleyball | 1968 |
| 7 | Jānis Lūsis | Javelin throw | 1968 |
| 8 | Tatjana Veinberga | Volleyball | 1968 |
| 9 | Uļjana Semjonova | Basketball | 1976 |
| 10 | Tamāra Dauniene | Basketball | 1976 |
| 11 | Vera Zozuļa | Luge | 1980 |
| 12 | Uļjana Semjonova | Basketball | 1980 |
| 13 | Dainis Kūla | Javelin throw | 1980 |
| 14 | Pāvels Seļivanovs | Volleyball | 1980 |
| 15 | Aleksandrs Muzičenko | Sailing | 1980 |
| 16 | Jānis Ķipurs | Boblsleigh | 1988 |
| 17 | Vitālijs Samoilovs | Ice hockey | 1988 |
| 18 | Afanasijs Kuzmins | Shooting | 1988 |
| 19 | Ivans Klementjevs | Canoeing | 1988 |
| 20 | Natālija Laščonova | Gymnastics | 1988 |
| 21 | Igors Miglinieks | Basketball | 1988 |
| Independent Latvia | |||
| 22 | Igors Vihrovs | Gymnastics | 2000 |
| 23 | Māris Štrombergs | BMX | 2008 |
| 24 | Māris Štrombergs | BMX | 2012 |
See also
References
- ^ "Latvia's quick-change artist makes Olympic history". Toronto Star. 2010-02-14. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
- ^ Harris, Beth (2010-02-13). "Latvian speedskater is 1st to do double duty". Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-02-19. [dead link]
- ^ CTV Olympics, "Latvian skater makes Olympic history", Agence France Press, 14 February 2010 . Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- ^ New York Times, "Crosstown Ride to a Speedskating First", Associated Press, 30 January 2010 . Retrieved 18 February 2010.
- "Olympic Medal Winners". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
- "Latvian Olympic Committee". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
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