Cal Track & Field: Mykolas Alekna Wins U23 European Title, Clinches '24 Olympic Bid

The rising junior eclipses the meet record with a decisive victory at Espoo, Finland.

Cal has its first qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Mykolas Alekna secured a spot Saturday by winning the discus competition at the U23 European Championships at Leppävaara Stadium in Espoo, Finland.

The rising junior from Ukraine broke the meet record on his first attempt with a throw of 222 feet, 8 inches (67.87 meters), surpassing the mark of 221-5 (67.48) set by current world leader and reigning world champ Kristjan Čeh of Slovenia in 2021.

Alekna then topped that with a throw of 224-2 (68.34) on his second attempt that extended his championship record. He failed to improve his mark on any of his final four throws, three of them resulting in fouls.

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Runnerup Saturday was Germany’s Marius Karges (205-3/62.56).

This was the third European crown Alekna has won, following his victory last summer at the European senior meet and a triumph in 2021 at the U20 European championships.

“It is a nice feeling to add this title to my collection and also, we had a very nice weather today, so I enjoyed the competition very much,” Alekna said. “I managed to throw far, that is all what matters and I am glad that I won. I wanted to set the Championship record and not to stress too much and I am glad it worked and I managed it well.”

Alekna thew a personal best of 232-11 (71.00) at the Big Meet in Berkeley this spring, breaking his own collegiate record and becoming the youngest man in history to reach the 71-meter barrier. That mark puts him third on the 2023 world list.

Last summer, at age 19, he won a silver medal at the World Championships in Eugene, Ore., becoming the youngest man to secure a medal in the event at the Worlds.

Alekna will complete in the World Championships in Budapest next month. Qualifying in the discus is set for Aug. 19, with the finals on Aug. 21.

“This competition was a very good experience and practice before the upcoming World Championships,” he said. “Hopefully, I will do good also in Budapest.”

*** Last week, Alekna was announced as one of 25 semifinalists for the Amateur Athletic Union’s James E. Sullivan Award, presented annually since 1930 to the most outstanding collegiate or Olympic athlete in the United States. Alekna is eligible because he competes at Cal.

He is the first Cal athlete recognized as a semifinalist since swimmers Abbey Weitzeil and Ryan Hoffer in 2020 and one of just two track and field athletes among the semifinalists this year, joining Olympic and world champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

Six finalists will be determined via a fan vote, after which the award will be presented at the New York Athletic Club on Thursday, Sept. 19.

Other semifinalists for the James E. Sullivan Award include college basketball players Caitlin Clark and Zach Edey, former Stanford golfer Rose Zhang and USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

Cover photo of Mykolas Alekna courtesy of European Athletics

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo