Estonian athletes of the year 2006-2007

Introduction
Let us take the year 2006 positively. Three Olympic medals, successes shadowing the disappointments, powerful rise of young athletes, unprecedented amount of new sports facilities and successful competition arrangements at home. There is no need to forget that our sports and sports financiers do not have to boast at the end of the year, but just thanks to the achievements feel that Estonia is capable for more.

Winter Olympics in Torino in 2006
Kristina became a skiing queen
Skiing as just a little girl in 1994 Olympics, with broken collar bone in 1998 Olympics and mentally wonded after doping accusations in 2002, Kristina Šmigun became a skiing queen in 2006. No other female skier won two gold medals in Pragelato

Veerpalu used the one and only chance
Andrus Veerpalu was a World Champion in 2001 and an Olympic winner in 2002. Interval start classical skiing important for him is used now rarely and in Torino Olympics it was in program only once. Veerpalu used this chance. For example in 1980 our interval classic could win three gold medals.

Other medalists
Marko Luhamaa after endless fift places for years, the best karateka in the world; he won gold medal in 2006

Unbelievable, but true: fourth timer in Olympics, a 39 year old Andrei Inesin became a World Champion in

Incredibly great things happened for Estonia in China in 2006. For example, the wrestler Heiki Nabi became a World Champion

Quad rowers Andrei Jämsä, Tõnu Endrekson, Igor Kuzmin and Allar Raja who despite all difficulties got a bronze medal in World Championships in Eton. Trainer Tatjana Jaanson was happy though due to illness, her famous husband Jüri Jaanson could not participate

Estonia got two medals in fencing World Championships. Sven Järve won bronze medal in Men's Épée and Irina Embrich won silver medal in Women's Épée

Unbelievable judo bronze in Europe - Künter Rothberg

Incredible achievements in light athletics
If one discus country wants to respect itself, it wins several medals in the European Championships. Gerd Kanter won a silver and Aleksander Tammert a bronze in the European Championships in Göteborg. When Kanter threw himself to the top of the season ranking with 73.38 and became the third of all times.

Margus Hunt set the Junior's World record, becoming the World Champion of his age group. He also won shot putting in Beijing.
Triple jumper Kaire Leibak - 14.43, which also gave the gold medal in Beijing, showed the world class. Marek Niit surprised with fourth gold in 200 m run.

Kaia Kanepi broke through
Former child star in tennis, Kaia Kanepi, exceeded interim difficulties and played in WTA tournament final in Hasselt on a par with Belgian Kim Clijsters, former number one player. "Maybe it was the beginning of something big," commented famous Jo Durie in Eurosport. Maret Ani played weaker than expected, but still made to the fourth round in Indian Wells

Wonderboy Baruto
It is quite customary that Estonians visiting Japan are asked if sumo is Estonia's national sport. Behind this is Baruto who, with unexpected speed, rose into the elite ranks of Sumo.

2008
*Kaia Kanepi made Estonian tennis history, beating 4 opponents and reaching the Quarter-final in French Open.
*For the first time, the Estonia men's national volleyball team qualified for the European Volleyball Championship, defeating in the last match.
*Urmo Aava showed that after Markko Märtin retired, there is another great WRC driver in Estonia. Urmo won 2 stages and reached 4th place in Acropolis Rally of Greece

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