Alekna sets pair of world records in discus
Cal junior becomes first man in history to top 75 meters in event
For the second year in a row, Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania took advantage of superb throwing conditions to raise the world record in the men’s discus in the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational in Ramona, Oklahoma, on Sunday.
The 22-year-old Alekna, who is in his junior season at Cal after redshirting last year, broke his own world record twice during the competition as he hit 75.56 meters (247 feet 10 inches) in the fourth round after upping the global best to 74.89 (245-8) on his first throw.
Although he fouled on his other four attempts, he became the first man since American Mac Wilkins in 1976 to raise the world record in the discus multiple times in the same meet.
Wilkins, who won the Olympic title in the 1976 Games in Montreal, set world records on each of his first three throws of a meet in San Jose, California, on May 1 of that year.
He had set a world record of 69.18 (226-11) in the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut, California, a week earlier before raising that mark to 69.80 (229-0) on his first throw of the competition in the San Jose Invitational. That was followed by a 70.24 (230-5) effort in the second round and a 70.86 (232-6) heave in the third.
A steady breeze was beneficial to Wilkins’ record performances nearly half a century ago and similar conditions helped Alekna on Sunday.
“It was a great day,” Cal throws coach Mohamad Saatara wrote in a text. “Preparations have been superb and he’s built up very well. It was a great competition with great energy and support.”
Statistically speaking, it was the greatest discus competition in history as Matt Denny of Australia finished second with a throw of 74.78 (245-4) that was better than the 74.35 (243-11) world record that Alekna had set in last year’s meet.
While Denny’s mark topped his Oceania record of 74.25 (243-7) that he had set in in a meet at the same Millican Field at Throw Town facility in Ramona on Thursday, the next three performers also bettered 70 meters (229-8).
Sam Mattis of the U.S. finished third at 71.27 (233-10), followed by Clemens Prufer of Germany at 71.01 (232-11) and Lawrence Okoye of Great Britain at 70.76 (232-2) in the first meet in history in which more than three men had thrown 70 meters or farther.
Mattis moved to second on the all-time U.S. list with his effort and Prufer now stands at fourth on the all-time German performer list.
Okoye added two and a half meters to the British record of 68.24 (223-10) that he had set in 2012.
Despite Alekna’s record effort last year, Saatara texted that his charge did not enter Sunday’s meet intent on bettering that mark.
“Our mindset is always to stick to our plan,” Saatara wrote. “We never chase any marks or distances. We just go forward and see what we can do on that day.
“The world record is always there so we’re aware of it, but we don’t talk about any of that. We just go and compete.”
Alekna, who finished a scant three centimeters behind gold medalist Roje Stona of Jamaica in the Olympic Games in Paris last summer, is scheduled to graduate with an undergraduate degree in psychology next month. He will then embark on a professional career in which he hopes to rival or top the performances of his father, Virgilijus, who won Olympic gold medals in 2000 and 2004, and World titles in 2003 and 2005.
In addition to those victories, Virgilijus was the top-ranked discus thrower in the world seven times by Track & Field News and he also threw 70 meters or farther in a record 20 meets during his career.
Mykolas has already bettered 70 meters in eight meets during his career, even though he will not turn 23 until September.
His dad also had an unprecedented eight seasons during his career in which he threw 70 meters or farther. His final 70-meter season came in 2012, when he recorded a best of 70.28 (230-7) at the age of 40.
You can click here to read a feature about Mykolas Alekna that was posted during his freshman year at Cal in 2022, when he took the collegiate track and field world by storm after winning the World Athletics U-20 Championships in 2021.