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Dadzite was the most successful field eventer at the London 2017 World Championships, winning no fewer than three gold medals.
The Latvian won shot put F55, discus F55 and javelin F56 in the London Stadium, setting a new javelin F55 world record in the process.
Dadzite’s third-round throw of 27.07m in the javelin F56 added 3.81m on to her winning distance from Rio 2016, where she won discus bronze in addition to gold in the javelin F56.
Prior to 2016, Dadzite had not managed to reach the podium at a major international competition, but she made her mark at the Grosseto European Championships in June that year, winning shot put F55 gold, javelin F56 silver and discus F55 bronze.
Dadzite’s image appears on Latvian stamps after the country marked the success of Latvia’s Rio 2016 Paralympic medallists with stamps in their honour.
Biography
Impairment information
Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries
Origin of Impairment
Acquired
Classification
F55
Further personal information
Residence
Riga, LAT
Occupation
Athlete
Languages
English, German, Italian, Latvian, Russian
Sport specific information
When and where did you begin this sport?
She began competing in throwing events in 2014.
Why this sport?
She was spotted by Latvian coaches while attending the 2013 World Championships in Lyon, France. "My friend [Latvian Para athlete Aigars Apinis] was competing and I was supporting him. Some coaches saw that my hands were really strong and said, 'Come on, we will go to the stadium and try to throw the javelin'. I said, 'No, no, leave me alone'." She went on to try the sport, and began competing the following year.
Name of coach
Siegfried Wegener, GER, from 2016
International debut
Year
2014
Competing for
Latvia
General interest
Nicknames
Di (Facebook profile, 25 Feb 2021)
Hobbies
Travelling, reading, driving. (Athlete, 09 Nov 2019)
Memorable sporting achievement
Winning a gold medal and setting a world record in the F56 javelin at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (Athlete, 07 Nov 2019)
Most influential person in career
Latvian Para athlete Aigars Apinis. (Athlete, 07 Nov 2019)
Hero / Idol
Latvian Para athlete Aigars Apinis. (Athlete, 07 Nov 2019)
Awards and honours
She was the flag bearer for Latvia at the opening ceremony of the 2018 European Championships in Berlin, Germany. (IPC, 20 Aug 2018)
She received the Riga Sport Laureate Award for Best Athlete with an Impairment in 2017. (skaties.lv, 09 Dec 2017)
She was Latvia's flag bearer during the opening ceremony of the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (MyInfo, 06 Sep 2016)
She received the Riga Sport Laureate Award for Best Athlete with an Impairment in 2017. (skaties.lv, 09 Dec 2017)
She was Latvia's flag bearer during the opening ceremony of the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (MyInfo, 06 Sep 2016)
Other sports
She has played wheelchair basketball at club level in Latvia, Italy and Germany. (swr.de, 07 Mar 2021; skaties.lv, 10 Feb 2017; volksfreund.de, 23 Mar 2018)
Famous relatives
Her sister Daiga Dadzite has served as the president of the Latvian Paralympic Committee. (jauns.lv, 22 Aug 2017)
Ambitions
To win medals at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (swr.de, 08 Mar 2021)
Impairment
She was born with spina bifida but did not know about it until she was age 16. Her impairment was aggravated after a car accident in 2012 that resulted in paraplegia. "The first two years after what happened, I was going through a lot, wondering why this was happening to me. I was depressed. I was crying at home in a pillow." (Athlete, 18 Sep 2016; lpkomiteja.lv, 2016; paralympic.org, 03 Apr 2018; konz.eu, 01 Jul 2017; jauns.lv, 22 Aug 2017)
Other information
DIFFICULT CHILDHOOD
She endured a difficult childhood. Her biological father did not want to have a baby, and left her mother before she was born. Her stepfather and mother both had alcohol abuse problems, and she witnessed domestic violence in the home. "I haven't seen my real father, he asked my mother to have an abortion and then disappeared when she did not. Later I found out that while my mother was pregnant with me she took all sorts of pills, and later she had problems with alcohol. I don't think about it every day, and it doesn't affect my life anymore. In the past, I was looking for reasons and wanted answers for why this had happened to me, but I have made the effort to try to live on, leaving everything bad in the past." (jauns.lv, 22 Aug 2017)
LATVIA TO GERMANY
She was born in Latvia, but moved to Germany in 2010 with her former partner, who had been offered a contract to play for a German wheelchair basketball club. She took part in training sessions for fun before being offered a contract to also play for the club. "I'm proud to be Latvian. I have had offers to change my citizenship, but I have always refused because my heart will be always in Latvia." (fronte.lv, 01 Oct 2018; skaties.lv, 10 Feb 2017)
She endured a difficult childhood. Her biological father did not want to have a baby, and left her mother before she was born. Her stepfather and mother both had alcohol abuse problems, and she witnessed domestic violence in the home. "I haven't seen my real father, he asked my mother to have an abortion and then disappeared when she did not. Later I found out that while my mother was pregnant with me she took all sorts of pills, and later she had problems with alcohol. I don't think about it every day, and it doesn't affect my life anymore. In the past, I was looking for reasons and wanted answers for why this had happened to me, but I have made the effort to try to live on, leaving everything bad in the past." (jauns.lv, 22 Aug 2017)
LATVIA TO GERMANY
She was born in Latvia, but moved to Germany in 2010 with her former partner, who had been offered a contract to play for a German wheelchair basketball club. She took part in training sessions for fun before being offered a contract to also play for the club. "I'm proud to be Latvian. I have had offers to change my citizenship, but I have always refused because my heart will be always in Latvia." (fronte.lv, 01 Oct 2018; skaties.lv, 10 Feb 2017)
Results
| Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Shot Put F55 | Final 1 | 2015-10-25 | 4 | |
| Women's Discus Throw F55 | Final 1 | 2015-10-28 | 11 | |
| Women's Javelin F56 | Final 1 | 2015-10-29 | 7 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Javelin F56 | Final Round | 2016-09-10 | 1 | |
| Women's Discus Throw F55 | Final Round | 2016-09-17 | 3 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Shot Put F55 | Final 1 | 2017-07-15 | 1 | |
| Women's Javelin F56 | Final 1 | 2017-07-17 | 1 | |
| Women's Discus Throw F55 | Final 1 | 2017-07-21 | 1 |
