In brief - 2006-07-26

  • 2006-07-26
Palladium, one of Estonia's most successful competition horses in history, had to be put down after breaking his leg last week. The Trakehner stallion was 17 years old. According to veterinarians, the horse broke his leg in the stable and, after thorough examinations, it was determined that he couldn't be helped. The commission of veterinarians was made up of experts from the Netherlands, Finland and Estonia. Palladium competed with Estonian jockey Gunnar Klettenberg, who tallied up a number of international victories with Palladium.

Lithuanian athlete Virgilijus Alekna set a world record in the discus last week with a throw of 71.08 meters. He was competing in an international track and field tournament in Greece. Alekna threw 68.5 meters during his first attempt, and then improved this distance by 1.62 meters, followed by his world-record throw. The current world and Olympic champion still doesn't own the title of European champion.

Famous Russian basketball player Alexander Petrenko died on July 21 in a car accident. The athlete's vehicle reportedly collided with a truck in Samara, Russia. His parents, who were also in the car, died immediately, and his daughter remains in critical condition. The 30-year-old Petrenko played for the Russian National team, Moscow's CSKA and Tula Arsenal. During the last three seasons, Petrenko was one of the leading players in Moscow's regional club Himki.

Tiger Woods celebrated his first major win since the death of his father in May, sealing his third Open title. The American shot a final-round 67 on July 23 to finish two clear of the field at Hoylake. "As far as my control, it was probably one of the best ball-striking weeks I've ever had," he said. It was his first win since the death of his father, Earl, and he burst into tears after the round.

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong congratulated fellow American cyclist Floyd Landis as his victorious 2006 successor. Landis, 30, was a key part of Armstrong's U.S. Postal (now Discovery Channel) team for three years.