Cal's Mykolas Alekna Finds His Groove, Wins Discus at Hungary

The 21-year-old world-recordholder tops a field with many of the elite throwers he will face next month at the Paris Olympics.

Mykolas Alekna / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Facing some of the top competition he will face at the Paris Olympics, Cal junior Mykolas Alekna won the discus at the Gyulai István Memorial at Székesfehérvár, Hungary on Tuesday. 

The 21-year-old Lithuanian, who stunned the track and field world this spring when he set a world record in the event, took the lead for good on the fifth attempt then added to it with a final-round throw of 230 feet, 4 inches (70.20 meters).

Alekna, who redshirted this collegiate season this to prepare for the Olympics, reached 70 meters for the fourth time this year but the first time since the Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway on May 30. Only two other men worldwide have thrown 70 meters this season.

He broke the 37-year-old world record in the discus with a throw of 243-11 (74.35) on April 14 at Ramona, Oklahoma.

Alekna opened the competition at the World Athletics Continental Tour event with a mark of 213-9 (65.15) that gave him the lead in the first round. It held as the top throw until countryman Andrius Gudzius threw 218-5 (66.57) in the third round.

Alekna fouled on his second, third and fourth throws, remaining in second place entering the fifth round.

Slovenia’s Kristen Ceh, 25, who won the World Championships in 2022 and was runner-up lasts year, jumped into the lead by uncorking a throw of 223-0 (67.99) on his fifth try.

Next in the ring, Alekna immediately surpassed that with a mark of 224-0 (68.28) to move into the top spot.

Gudzius fouled on his final three attempts, finishing third. Ceh could not improve in his final throw and settled for second.

But Alekna saved his best for last, throwing 230-4 to win the competition by a margin of more than 7 feet.

New Zealand’s Connor Bell finished fourth at 208-11 (63.69) and Alekna’s older brother, Martynas, who also has qualified for the Paris Games, was fifth at 208-4 (63.50).

Sweden’s Daniel Stahl, the 31-year-old reigning Olympic champion and two-time World Champion, was sixth at 207-10 (63.36) — 28 feet off his career best of 235-9 (71.86) — the latest in a series of performances well below his career standard.

The collegiate record-holder for Cal, Alekna won a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, the youngest man even to medal in the event. He followed that with a bronze last year at the same event in Budapest. 

The discus competition at Paris begins with qualifying on Aug. 5. The finals are Aug 7.