Discus thrower earns fifth gold for Russia at London Paralympics

Russia’s Aleksey Ashapatov has defended his Paralympic title in the men’s discus for athletes who use wheelchairs, and set a new world record with his victory.

The 38-year-old – who lost his leg in an accident ten years ago – threw a record 60.72 meters, racking up 1,043 points in all attempts.Czech thrower Rostislav Pohlmann scored 951 points to finish second, with Egypt’s Metawa Abouelkhir rounding out the podium in third with 944 points.Points are used to determine final positions due to the athletes' varying degrees of disability.This is the third Paralympic gold medal for Ashapatov, who also took first place in the discus throw and shot put in the 2008 Bejing Paralympic Games.