In recent years, the world of discus throw has seen a surge in competition, with five men surpassing the 67m mark at the World Championships final in 2022. Mykolas Alekna, a talented athlete from Lithuania, finds himself at the forefront of this golden age for men’s discus throw.
Despite his impressive achievements, Alekna knows that he cannot become complacent. The field includes some of the best athletes in the sport, including Daniel Ståhl of Sweden, who is both the reigning world champion and defending Olympic champion. Ståhl set a remarkable World Championships record with a throw of 71.46m in 2023.
Another talented athlete to watch is Kristjan Ceh of Slovenia, who won the world title in 2022 with a throw of 71.13m, a Championships record at the time. Ceh is only slightly older than Alekna at 25, making him a formidable opponent.
Alekna also faces competition from other talented athletes like Alex Rose of Samoa and Lukas Weißhaidinger of Austria, both capable of throwing over 70m. As Alekna prepares for the Paris 2024 Olympics, he may have an additional goal in mind – to create history as part of the first father-son duo to win gold in the same individual athletics event at the Olympic Games. The only other pair to achieve this feat were Charlie and Chip Jenkins in the men’s 4x400m relay for the USA.
With such strong competition and such high stakes, it will be interesting to see how Alekna performs at the upcoming Paris Olympics. One thing is certain though – he will be giving it everything he’s got to solidify his place in discus throw history and make his mark on this golden age for men’s discus throw.
