Paralympic discus gold for Russia

London: Russia`s Alexei Ashapatov has hurled his way to Paralympic gold in the men`s discus for athletes who use wheelchairs, setting a new world record along the way Saturday.

Ashapatov, who lost his leg in an accident in 2002, threw a record 60.72 metres, racking up 1,043 points in all attempts. Rostislav Pohlmann of the Czech Republic recorded 951 points and claimed silver, while Egypt`s Metawa Abouelkhir got the bronze medal with 944 points. Points are used to determine final positions because of the varying degrees of athletes` disabilities. Ashapatov, 38, claimed two gold medals at the Bejing Paralympic Games in 2008, excelling in the discus throw and the shot put. Ashapatov`s gold is the fifth for Russia. PTI