Samoa at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Samoa competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from September 7 to 18, 2016, sending two discus athletes, one male and one female. This was Samoa's fifth consecutive Paralympics, with their first Paralympics in 2000. Alefosio ‘Sio’ Laki finished 12th, setting a new personal record. Maggie Aiono finished the Paralympics in 11th place. As of the conclusion of these Paralympics, Samoa has not won a Paralympic medal.

Samoa at the
2016 Summer Paralympics
IPC codeSAM
NPCSamoa Paralympic Committee
in Rio de Janeiro
Competitors2 in 1 sports
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Summer Paralympics appearances

Background

Samoa's first Paralympic appearance was in 2000. The country has competed in every Summer Paralympics since then, and has never participated in a Winter Paralympics. As of these Paralympics, the country has never medalled.[1][2][3]

Disability classifications
Main article: Disability sport classification

Every participant at the Paralympics has their disability grouped into one of five disability categories; amputation, the condition may be congenital or sustained through injury or illness; cerebral palsy; wheelchair athletes, there is often overlap between this and other categories; visual impairment, including blindness; Les autres, any physical disability that does not fall strictly under one of the other categories, for example dwarfism or multiple sclerosis.[4][5] Each Paralympic sport then has its own classifications, dependent upon the specific physical demands of competition. Events are given a code, made of numbers and letters, describing the type of event and classification of the athletes competing. Some sports, such as athletics, divide athletes by both the category and severity of their disabilities, other sports, for example swimming, group competitors from different categories together, the only separation being based on the severity of the disability.[6]

Athletics
Main article: Athletics at the 2016 Summer Paralympics

Alefosio ‘Sio’ Laki qualified to represent Samoa at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio in the discus. He started participating in discus three years prior. Laki is based in Australia, but both of his parents are from Samoa. His representation for Samoa came about because of a relationship developed with the Samoans by Athletics Australia.[7] Laki has cerebral palsy, and went to Rio when he was a year 12 student at Hampton Park Secondary College.[7] He prepared for the Paralympics by training for three hours per day at the track three times a week and the gym three times a week.[8] Laki threw a personal best distance of 33.53 meters. He placed 12th in the competition out of the 12 participants.[9][10]

Maggie Aiono received a wildcard spot to compete in the discus event. Her left foot was amputated after a car accident in 1994, and she uses a prosthetic. The Paralympic Committee also gave Aiono a new prothesis for walking and one specially for discus throwing. Aiono used to do shotput, but changed to discus a couple of months before the Paralympics. She received her new prosthetic leg just before arriving at Rio.[11] Aiono was Samoa's flag bearer for these Paralympics.[12] Aiono finished 11th out of 12 in the event, with a throw of 19.56 meters.[13]

Men's field
Athlete Events Result Rank
Alefosio Laki Discus F37 33.53 12

Women's field
Athlete Events Result Rank
Maggie Aiono Discus F43-44 19.56 11
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See also

References
  1. "Samoa at the Paralympic Games". Paralympic.org. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  2. "All-Time Paralympic Games Medal Standings". Paralympic.org. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  3. "All-Time Paralympic Winter Games Medal Standings". Paralympic.org. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  4. "Paralympics categories explained". ABC. September 3, 2008. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  5. "Making sense of the categories". BBC Sport. October 6, 2000. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  6. "A-Z of Paralympic classification". BBC Sport. August 28, 2008. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  7. Bailey, Megan (July 16, 2016). "Sio represents at Paralympics". Cranbourne Leader. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  8. "Alefosio Laki Biographical Information". Paralympic.org. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  9. "Sport: Pacific athletes underway at Rio Paralympics". Radio New Zealand. September 9, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  10. "Event Overview - Men's Discus Throw - F37". Paralympic.org. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  11. Huckert, Mathias (August 28, 2016). "Samoa's contribution to the Paralympics". Samoa Observer. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  12. "Full list of flag bearers for opening ceremony of Rio 2016 Paralympic Games". Rio2016.com. International Paralympic Committee. September 7, 2016. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  13. "Event Overview - Women's Discus Throw - F44". Paralympic.org. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
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