Russian medal-winner dies in balcony fall

Maxim Narozhny, who won a silver medal for Russia in athletics at the Beijing Paralympic Games, has died after falling off his apartment balcony in a suspected suicide, local media reported Tuesday. "Maxim Narozhny's death was shocking news for all of us," the deputy president of Russia's Paralympics committee Lev Seleznev told reporters. "It's awful. Nothing prepared us for such a nightmare." The 35-year-old Narozhny, single amputee and world and national champion in the shot put, died late on Monday in Voronezh in central Russia. Investigators said they were looking into the theory the shot-putter has committed suicide after becoming tired with his disability. The Voronezh investigating body, who has opened an inquiry into the case, said the athlete may have committed suicide in his wife's presence. His wife witnessed that Narozhny said he had become tired of his life just before falling out of the balcony. Reports also said that a mental disorder may have been the reason for Narozhny's death and relatives said that he had been hearing voices from his prosthetic leg. Narozhny, who was a front-line member of Russia's Paralympic athletics squad, also won gold in the world athletics championship for disabled persons in the shot put this year and gold in the Russian championships just days ago.