Mykolas Alekna

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Mykolas Alekna

| image = 2022-08-19 European Championships 2022 – Men's Discus Throw by Sandro Halank–009.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Alekna in Munich 2022

| nickname =

| nationality = Lithuanian

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|28 September 2002|df=y}}

| birth_place = Vilnius, Lithuania

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{height|m=1.94}}

| weight =

| country = Lithuania

| sport = Athletics

| event = Discus throw

| collegeteam = California Golden Bears

| retired =

| pb = {{T&Fcalc|75.56}} (Oklahoma, 2025) WR

| medaltemplates =

{{Medal|Country|{{LTU}}}}

}}

Mykolas Alekna (born 28 September 2002){{cite web |title=Mykolas ALEKNA – Athlete Profile |url=https://worldathletics.org/athletes/lithuania/mykolas-alekna-14841124 |website=World Athletics |access-date=2021-01-01}} is a Lithuanian athlete who specializes in the discus throw. He is the current world record holder of the event with 75.56 metres (247 ft 10.8 in).{{Cite web |title=Alekna throws discus world record with 75.56m in Ramona {{!}} REPORT {{!}} World Athletics |url=https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-continental-tour/news/mykolas-alekna-discus-world-record-7556m-ramona |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=worldathletics.org}} 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.

In 2021, he was the World Under-20 and European U20 champion.{{Cite web|title=Mykolas Alekna neturi lygių ir pasaulyje – disko metikas Kenijoje nokautavo varžovus pirmuoju metimu|url=https://www.lrytas.lt/sportas/startai/2021/08/22/news/mykolas-alekna-neturi-lygiu-ir-pasaulyje-disko-metikas-kenijoje-nokautavo-varzovus-pirmuoju-metimu-20501573/|access-date=2021-08-22|website=www.lrytas.lt}}{{Cite web|title=Jau pirmuoju metimu rekordą pagerinęs Mykolas Alekna – pasaulio jaunimo čempionas!|url=https://www.15min.lt/sportas/naujiena/lengvoji-atletika/mykolas-alekna-jau-pirmuoju-metimu-pagerino-pasaulio-jaunimo-cempionato-rekorda-133-1553174|access-date=2021-08-22|website=15min.lt/sportas|language=lt}}{{Cite web|title=Pirmu metimu rekordą pagerinęs Mykolas Alekna – pasaulio jaunimo čempionas!|url=https://www.sportas.lt/naujiena/439005/pirmu-metimu-rekorda-pagerines-mykolas-alekna-pasaulio-jaunimo-cempionas|access-date=2021-08-22|website=sportas.lt}}

Mykolas is the son of double Olympic discus throw champion Virgilijus Alekna.{{Cite magazine |last=Faraudo |first=Jeff |date=2022-10-28 |title=Cal Discus Ace Mykolas Alekna Named Europe's Rising Star for Track and Field |url=https://www.si.com/college/cal/other-sports/rising-star |access-date=2022-10-28 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |language=en}} 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.{{Cite magazine |last=Faraudo |first=Jeff |date=2022-07-20 |title=World T&F Championships: Cal's Mykolas Alekna Wins Silver in Discus at Age 19 |url=https://www.si.com/college/cal/other-sports/alekna-silver |access-date=2022-07-20 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |language=en}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Crumley |first=Euan |date=2022-08-19 |title=Okoye savours his medal-winning moment |url=https://athleticsweekly.com/event-reports/okoye-savours-his-medal-winning-moment-1039960091/ |access-date=2022-12-22 |website=AW}}{{Cite web |date=2022-10-25 |title=In focus {{!}} A closer look at Rising Stars Tzengko and Alekna |url=https://www.european-athletics.com/news/in-focus-a-closer-look-at-rising-stars-tzengko-and-alekna |access-date=2022-10-28 |website=European Athletics |language=en}}

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.{{Cite web |last=Howard |first=Nick |date=1 May 2023 |title=Over 70 metres at the age of 20! Alekna throws world lead in Berkeley |url=https://www.european-athletics.com/news/over-70-metres-at-the-age-of-20-alekna-throws-world-lead-in-berkeley |access-date=1 May 2023 |website=European Athletics}}{{Cite magazine |last=Faraudo |first=Jeff |date=30 April 2023 |title=Cal Track and Field: Mykolas Alekna and Carolina Visca Shine in Big Meet |url=https://www.si.com/college/cal/other-sports/2023-big-meet |access-date=1 May 2023 |magazine=Sports Illustrated}}

On the second day of the 2024 Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational{{cite web |url=https://worldathletics.org/competition/calendar-results/results/7209173?day=2 |title=Calendar & Results: Day 2, 2024 Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational |publisher=World Athletics |access-date=2024-04-17}} in Ramona, Oklahoma on 14 April, Alekna set a new world record of 74.35 m, surpassing Jürgen Schult's previous record of 74.08 m. This record had stood since 1986, making it the longest-standing world record in men's athletics.{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/alekna-world-record-track-3beef674d3c7e39a343c5addcbc09d63 |title=Lithuania's Mykolas Alekna breaks discus throw record that stood since 1986 |work=Associated Press News |date=2024-04-15 |access-date=2024-04-17}} Under near-perfect conditions, Alekna surpassed the mark of 70 m with all six of his attempts (throwing 72.21, 70.32, 72.89, 70.51, 74.35 and 70.50 m),{{cite web |title=Men Discus Throw - Field series |url=https://results.blacksquirreltiming.com/meets/34082/events/individual/1233750 |publisher=AthleticLIVE |date=2024-04-14 |access-date=2024-04-20}}{{cite news |url=https://www.european-athletics.com/news/world-record-alekna-launches-74-35m-to-break-38-year-old-record |title=World record! Alekna launches 74.35m to break 38-year-old mark |date=2024-04-15 |access-date=2024-04-20 |website=european-athletics.com}} each of which stood among the 100 best discus throws of all time.As of 13 April 2024, the 100th best discus throw stood at 70.26 m. {{cite web |title=Discus Throw men |website=worldathletics.org |url=https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/throws/discus-throw/all/men/senior?regionType=world&page=2&bestResultsOnly=false&firstDay=1900-01-01&lastDay=2024-04-21&maxResultsByCountry=all&eventId=10229620&ageCategory=senior |date=2024-04-13 |access-date=2024-04-13}}

In the Paris 2024 Olympics, Alekna secured the silver medal with a throw of 69.97 metres on his second attempt, surpassing his father Virgiljus's Olympic record that had stood since Athens 2004. However, the record was broken by gold medalist Rojé Stona minutes later, who threw his personal best and set a new olympic record at 70.0 metres.{{cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/news/paris-2024-athletics-mens-discus-throw-results-roje-stona-wins-gold-medal|title=Paris 2024 Athletics Men's Discus Throw: All Results as Roje Stona Wins the Gold Medal|date=2024-08-07| first1=Nick | last1=McCarvel}}