Latvia is making a strong showing at the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, South Korea, currently underway from to . The Latvian delegation, comprised of 45 athletes competing across eleven sports, has already secured six medals – two gold, three silver, and one bronze – ranking them 14th overall as of the latest standings.
Competition continues today with several Latvian athletes in action. In Cortina d’Ampezzo, Kristers Aparjods and Gints Bērziņš will compete in the final two of four runs in the skeleton event, scheduled for 18:00 and 19:30 local time. Earlier in the day, Vīgants Valdifjemme will participate in the 20-kilometer skiathlon at 13:30, and the Latvian biathlon team – consisting of Andrejs Rastorgujevs, Renārs Birkentāls, Baiba Bendika, and Estere Volfa – will compete in the 4×6 kilometer mixed relay in Anterselva at 15:50.
The Winter Youth Olympic Games are being broadcast live on LTV7.
Aparjods currently sits in fourth place after the first two runs of the skeleton competition, while Bērziņš is tenth. The competition is incredibly tight at the top, with Germany’s Max Langenhan leading by a mere 0.162 seconds over Austria’s Jonas Mueller. Italy’s Dominik Fischnaller is close behind, trailing the leader by 0.298 seconds. Aparjods is just 0.21 seconds off the podium pace.
The Latvian biathlon team will start the mixed relay with the 17th bib number out of 21 competing teams. The quartet represents Latvia’s strongest biathletes, signaling a commitment to a competitive performance in the event.
This year’s Winter Youth Olympic Games mark Latvia’s fourth appearance at the event, having participated in every Games since its inception in 2012. The current delegation of 68 athletes is the largest in Latvian history at the Winter Olympics, competing in a total of nine different sports.
Latvia has already celebrated gold medal success in the men’s skeleton event, with Emīls Indriksons taking the top spot on . The Latvian men’s national under-16 ice hockey team also secured gold in the men’s 3×3 tournament on .
Silver medals have been won by Jānis Gruzdulis-Borovojs and Ēdens Eduards Čepulis in the luge men’s doubles on , by Dārta Neimane in the women’s skeleton on , and by a luge team consisting of Ēdens Eduards Čepulis, Jānis Gruzdulis-Borovojs, Edvards Marts Markitāns, and Margita Sirsniņa in the team relay on . Laura Lēģere added to the medal count with a bronze in the women’s skeleton on .
In alpine skiing, Latvia qualified two athletes, one male and one female, to compete. Details regarding their performance are forthcoming.
The 25th Winter Olympic Games will continue until , with Latvian athletes continuing to compete across various disciplines. The nation’s strong start to the Games suggests a potential for further success and a promising future for Latvian winter sports.
