In 2023, Lithuanian Mykolas Alekna made history by breaking a 37-year-old world record in the men’s discus event. The 21-year-old junior at Cal-Berkeley threw the discus 74.35 meters (nearly 244 feet) in Ramona, Oklahoma, on Sunday, surpassing the previous world record set by German Jürgen Schult in 1986.
Alekna is the son of Olympic discus champion Virgilijus Alekna and has been making a name for himself in the sport. He first gained recognition in 2022 when he became the first teenage man to win a throwing medal in world championships history with a silver. He followed this up by winning bronze at the 2023 Worlds.
In April of that same year, Alekna improved his personal best from 71.00 meters to 71.39, making him one of the top performers in history at that time. He is now aiming to make his Olympic debut in Paris and has the opportunity to become the youngest Olympic men’s discus gold medalist since American Al Oerter achieved this feat in 1956.
The reigning Olympic and world champion in the men’s discus event is Swede Daniel Ståhl, providing strong competition for Alekna in future competitions. The world record in the hammer throw, set by Soviet athlete Yuriy Sedykh in 1986, is currently the longest-standing men’s track and field world record
