| Latvia at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| IOC code | LAT |
| NOC | Latvian Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Rio de Janeiro | |
| Competitors | 33 in 12 sports |
| Flag bearers | Māris Štrombergs (opening)[1] Aleksejs Rumjancevs (closing) |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
| Other related appearances | |
 Russian Empire (1908–1912) Soviet Union (1952–1988) | |
Latvia competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This was the nation's seventh consecutive appearance at the Games in the post-Soviet era and eleventh overall in Summer Olympic history.
The Latvian Olympic Committee sent the nation's smallest delegation to the Olympics since 2004, with 33 athletes, 20 men and 13 women, competing across 12 sports.[2][3] Latvia made its Olympic debut in women's tennis and women's weightlifting, as well as its return to sailing after 12 years. Athletics had the largest team by sport with only 14 competitors, nearly half of the nation's full roster size; along with sailing and tennis, there was also a single competitor each in modern pentathlon, shooting, and wrestling.
The Latvian roster featured two returning Olympic medalists from London, namely beach volleyball player Jānis Šmēdiņš and two-time defending BMX champion Maris Strombergs. Hunting for his third consecutive gold medal in Rio de Janeiro, Strombergs was selected to lead the Latvian delegation as the flag bearer in the opening ceremony.[1] Distance runner Jeļena Prokopčuka came out of retirement to run for the women's marathon at her fourth Games as the oldest (aged 40) and most experienced competitor, while windsurfer Ketija Birzule and weightlifter Rebeka Koha (women's 53 kg) entered their maiden Games as the youngest athletes (both 18) of the roster. Other notable Latvian athletes included heptathlete and 2015 world bronze medalist Laura Ikauniece-Admidiņa, reigning European javelin throw champion Zigismunds Sirmais, and world-ranked freestyle wrestler Anastasija Grigorjeva.
Latvia failed to win a single medal for the first time in Olympic history since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Koha, Ikauniece-Admidiņa, and sprint kayaker Aleksejs Rumjancevs produced the strongest results for the Latvians at these Games, finishing among the top five in their respective sporting events.[4]
- ^ a b "Latvijas karognesējs Rio olimpiskajās spēlēs būs Māris Štrombergs" [Māris Štrombergs will be Latvia's flag bearer at the Rio Olympics] (in Latvian). Delfi. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
- ^ "Ar 33 Latvijas sportistu līdzdalību tiek atklātas Riodežaneiro Olimpiskās spēles" [33 Latvian athletes participated at the Olympic opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro] (in Latvian). Latvian Olympic Committee. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ "Latvia puts best feet forward in Rio". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ "Olympic Committee claims Rio performance satisfactory". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.