At 21 years old, Mykolas Alekna set a new discus throw world record with a distance of 74.35 m (243 ft 11 in) during a competition in Ramona, Oklahoma. His performance included three throws exceeding 72 meters and all six surpassing 70 meters, making it one of the most consistent series in the sport’s history. This achievement put him in contention to surpass the Olympic Record of 69.89 meters, set in 2004 by his father, Virgilijus Alekna.
In recent years, Mykolas Alekna had earned silver and bronze medals at the World Championships. The competition featured several prominent athletes, including Daniel Ståhl, the defending champion and 2023 Gold Medalist; Lukas Weißhaidinger, the returning bronze medalist; Kristjan Čeh, the 2022 World Champion and 2023 silver medalist; and Andrius Gudžius, the 2022 bronze medalist. Alex Rose, ranked second on the world list for the season and the eleventh-best performer in history, also competed,[1][2] while Ståhl and Čeh shared the fifth-best performance in history.
In the final, Kristjan Čeh, the second thrower in the order, recorded 67.27 meters. Matt Denny followed with 66.89 meters, and Andrius Gudžius threw 66.45 meters. Alekna then took the lead with his first throw. In the second round, Alekna improved with a throw of 68.42 meters but was overtaken by Denny, who threw 69.31 meters. Alekna regained the lead by breaking his father’s Olympic Record with a throw of 69.97 meters, surpassing the previous mark by eight centimeters.
Rojé Stona was the only competitor among the leaders to improve in the third round, throwing 66.16 meters to move into seventh place and secure three additional attempts. In the fourth round, Stona threw 70.00 meters (229 feet 7 inches), surpassing Alekna’s mark by three centimeters and becoming the first athlete to reach the 70-meter mark in a windless, enclosed stadium. Despite Alekna making three more attempts to reclaim the lead, Stona’s throw remained unmatched, securing his victory.[3]
Virgilijus Alekna's 20-year Olympic record of 69.89 meters, set in Athens 2004, was broken twice at in the finals — first by his son Mykolas with a throw of 69.97 meters, and then by Rojé Stona with a throw of 70.00 meters.[7]
For the men's discus throw event, the qualification period was between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024. 32 athletes were able to qualify for the event, with a maximum of three athletes per nation, by throwing the entry standard of 67.20 m or further or by their World Athletics Ranking for this event.[8][9]
Results
Qualification
The qualification was held on 5 August, starting at 10:10 (UTC+2) for Group A and 11:35 (UTC+2) for Group B in the morning. 32 athletes qualified for the first round by qualification time or world ranking.[10]
