Mykolas Alekna

Mykolas Alekna (born 28 September 2002)[1] is a Lithuanian athlete who specializes in the discus throw. At the age of 19, he won the silver medal at the 2022 World Championships, becoming the youngest world discus medallist in history. Alekna was then the youngest ever winner in his discipline at the 2022 European Championships, setting the competition record in the process.[2][3]

Mykolas Alekna
Alekna in Munich 2022
Personal information
NationalityLithuanian
Born (2002-09-28) 28 September 2002
Height1.94 m (6 ft 4+1⁄2 in)
Sport
CountryLithuania
SportAthletics
Event(s)Discus throw
College teamCalifornia Golden Bears
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)71.00 m (232 ft 11+1⁄4 in) (Berkeley 2023)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Lithuania
World Championships
Silver medal – second place2022 EugeneDiscus throw
Bronze medal – third place2023 BudapestDiscus throw
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2022 MunichDiscus throw
World U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place2021 NairobiDiscus throw
European U23 Championships
Gold medal – first place2023 EspooDiscus throw
European U20 Championships
Gold medal – first place2021 TallinnDiscus throw

In 2021, he was the World Under-20 and European U20 champion.[4][5][6]

Mykolas is the son of Olympic double discus throw champion Virgilijus Alekna.[7] His brother Martynas Alekna is also a discus thrower.

Career

In June 2022, 19-year-old Mykolas Alekna threw his new personal best of 69.81 m while finishing second at the Stockholm Diamond League meet, the longest ever discus throw by a teenager. At the 2022 World Championships held in Eugene, Oregon in July, he lost only to Kristjan Čeh, becoming the youngest world discus medallist in history.[2] Less than a month later at the European Championships Munich 2022, Alekna became the first teenager to win a medal in the discus throw, let alone the gold, beating Čeh and all three medallists from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. His father had won this title 16 years earlier.[8][3]

On 29 April 2023 at The Big Meet in Berkeley, California, Alekna became the youngest discus thrower in history to throw beyond 70 metres, moving up to 18th on the world all-time list with his new best of 71.00 m, a new European U23 record.[9][10]

International competitions
Representing  Lithuania
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
2019 European Youth Summer Olympic Festival Baku, Azerbaijan 9th Discus throw (1.5 kg) 54.13 m
2021 European U20 Championships Tallinn, Estonia 1st Discus throw (1.75 kg) 68.00 m
World U20 Championships Nairobi, Kenya 1st Discus throw (1.75 kg) 69.81 m
2022 World Championships Eugene, OR, United States 2nd Discus throw 69.27 m
European Championships Munich, Germany 1st Discus throw 69.78 m CR
2023 European U23 Championships Espoo, Finland 1st Discus throw 68.34 m
World Championships Budapest, Hungary 3rd Discus throw 68.85 m

References
  1. "Mykolas ALEKNA – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  2. Faraudo, Jeff (20 July 2022). "World T&F Championships: Cal's Mykolas Alekna Wins Silver in Discus at Age 19". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  3. "In focus | A closer look at Rising Stars Tzengko and Alekna". European Athletics. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  4. "Mykolas Alekna neturi lygių ir pasaulyje – disko metikas Kenijoje nokautavo varžovus pirmuoju metimu". www.lrytas.lt. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  5. "Jau pirmuoju metimu rekordą pagerinęs Mykolas Alekna – pasaulio jaunimo čempionas!". 15min.lt/sportas (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  6. "Pirmu metimu rekordą pagerinęs Mykolas Alekna – pasaulio jaunimo čempionas!". sportas.lt. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  7. Faraudo, Jeff (28 October 2022). "Cal Discus Ace Mykolas Alekna Named Europe's Rising Star for Track and Field". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  8. Crumley, Euan (19 August 2022). "Okoye savours his medal-winning moment". AW. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  9. Howard, Nick (1 May 2023). "Over 70 metres at the age of 20! Alekna throws world lead in Berkeley". European Athletics. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  10. Faraudo, Jeff (30 April 2023). "Cal Track and Field: Mykolas Alekna and Carolina Visca Shine in Big Meet". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
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