Raimonds Bergmanis
| Raimonds Bergmanis | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Minister of Defence | |
|
Assumed office 7 July 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Laimdota Straujuma |
| Preceded by | Raimonds Vējonis |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
25 July 1966 Pļaviņas, Soviet Union (now Latvia) |
| Political party | Green Party |
| Competition record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Strongman | ||
Representing  Latvia
| ||
| World's Strongest Man | ||
| 7th | 1996 World's Strongest Man | |
| 5th | 1997 World's Strongest Man | |
| Qualified | 2001 World's Strongest Man | |
| 3rd | 2002 World's Strongest Man | |
| 5th | 2003 World's Strongest Man | |
| 4th | 2004 World's Strongest Man | |
| World Strongman Challenge | ||
| 2nd | 2003 | |
| Arnold Strongman Classic | ||
| 5th | 2002 | |
| 3rd | 2003 | |
| 3rd | 2004 | |
| 8th | 2006 | |
| IFSA Strongman World Championships | ||
| 5th | 2005 | |
| IFSA European Championships | ||
| 4th | 2005 | |
| World Muscle Power Championships | ||
| 1st | 1997 | |
| 2nd | 1998 | |
| 2nd | 1999 | |
| Representing Latvia
| ||
| Men's Weightlifting | ||
| European Weightlifting Championships Total | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1997 Rijeka | +108 kg |
Raimonds Bergmanis (born 25 July 1966) is a Latvian politician and the current Minister of Defence. He is a former Olympic weightlifter and retired strongman competitor.
Athletic career
Bergmanis reached the finals in the World's Strongest Man contest several times, finishing 3rd in 2002, and 4th in 2003 and 2004. He also competed in the 2001 contest, but was eliminated in the qualifying heats. He won the World Muscle Power Championships in 1997 and has also competed in the Arnold's Strongest Man Contest; his best result was a third place in the 2003 competition.
Bergmanis was part of the Latvian Olympic Weightlifting team, and has set 21 Latvian records. He is a three-time Olympian (1992, 1996 and 2000). In 1992 he carried the Latvian flag at the opening ceremony, the first person to do so since 1936 when independent Latvia last participated at a Summer Olympics.
After the end of his career, Bergmanis worked in Latvian television and presented a number of programs including "Happy Family" and "The Royal jokes tournament" and was commentator for the Latvian Strongman Championships. He was elected as a president of the Latvian Olympic club, and had previously been a board member and vice president. In March 2013, he was elected one of the vice presidents of the Latvian Olympic Committee.
Political career
In 2013 he was elected as one of the vice presidents of the Latvian Olympic Committee. He has worked in the Latvian National Armed Forces.
Bergmanis is a member of the Latvian Green Party, part of the Union of Greens and Farmers political alliance. He was elected to the Latvian parliament in 2014. He became minister of defense in 2015 after his predecessor Raimonds Vējonis was elected President of Latvia.[1]
References
- ↑ "Raimondu Bergmani apstiprina aizsardzības ministra amatā" (in Latvian). Delfi. 8 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Raimonds Vējonis |
Minister of Defence 2015–present |
Incumbent |