Lithuanian discus thrower Mykolas Alekna is being hailed as a history-maker after breaking a world record at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational meeting in Ramona. His throw of 74.35 meters surpassed the previous record held by German athlete Jurgen Schult, who achieved a throw of 74.08m in 1986. This achievement marks the longest-standing record in track and field history, as noted by Olympics.com.
Despite initially being measured at 74.41m, Alekna’s throw is pending ratification. After his remarkable achievement, he expressed his disbelief, stating “It’s hard to understand what I just did. I saw the throws and I knew that it could be the day, and it just happened.” Alekna had already proven himself as one of the leading athletes in his sport prior to the event, boasting the longest throw of the season and ranking tenth on the world all-time list. All six of his attempts during the competition exceeded the 70m mark.
Born on September 28, 2002, in Lithuania, Alekna has quickly become a standout figure in the world of discus throwing. Having moved to the US for training in 2021, he made history as the youngest athlete to achieve a throw beyond 70m at just twenty years old. He is a two-time medalist at the World Championships and the current European champion. There seems to be a family legacy of greatness in discus throw, as Alekna’s father Virgilijus is an Olympic record holder in the same discipline
