Mykolas Alekna Breaks Father's Olympic Record, Settles for Silver

The Cal junior finishes behind surprise discus winner Roje Stona of Jamaica in ferocious competition at Paris

Mykolas Alekna / Photo by Kirby Lee, USA Today

Mykolas Alekna broke his father’s 20-year-old Olympic record in the men’s discus final at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, and it wasn’t enough.

Jamaica’s Roje Stona upstaged the Cal junior when he topping his mark by two inches to steal away the Olympic record and the gold medal. Alekna, in his first Olympics at the age of 21, won silver.

The competition was staged at an unprecedented level, with Stona, Alekna and Australia’s Matthew Denny each posting the longest throws in Olympic history by the gold, silver and bronze medalists, respectively.

Alekna, the native of Lithuania, had hoped to become the youngest Olympic champion in the event since 1956, when American legend Al Oerter won the first of his four straight gold medals at the age of 19.

A victory also would have given Cal track and field Olympic champions on consecutive days after former Golden Bear star Camryn Rogers won the women’s hammer throw on Tuesday. Cal still has just three all-time individual gold medals in track and field.

“I’m happy to bring home a medal,” Alekna told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I’m not sad or anything.”

"I had an Olympic record for a few throws; it was great to break it. It was a great experience . . . it is just pure joy. Of course, my expectation was to win, but sometimes it does not happen. I am so glad for this silver."

Stona, a 25-year-old former Clemson and Arkansas athlete and not regarded as a serious medal threat, won with a huge lifetime-best throw of 229 feet, 8 inches (70.00 meters). Coached by Olympic shot put champion Ryan Crouser, Stona is Jamaica's first medalist in the discus.

With his father in the stadium, Alekna took the silver with a mark of 229-6 (69.97) and Denny, 28, won the bronze at 227-4 (69.31).

Alekna, who broke the 38-year-old world record in the discus with a monstrous throw of 243-11 (74.35) in April, competed well.

He held the lead after the first of six rounds with his throw of 224-11 (68.55). Denny, 28, went into the lead in the second round with his throw of  227-4 (69.31).

Minutes later, Alekna unleashed a heave of 229-6 (69.97), regaining the lead and break the Olympic record of 229-3 (69.89) set by his father, Virgilijus Alekna, on his way to winning the second of his two gold medals in 2004, when his son was not yet 2 years old.

Mykolas Alekna fouled on his third attempt but held the lead entering the fourth round. 

Stona. who threw just 202-3 (61.66) on his first attempt of the day, then stunned the field in the fourth round with his first 70-meter throw, eclipsing his previous lifetime best by more than three feet.

“Yeah, it was a surprise for everyone,” Alekna said. “I knew he’s a very talented thrower, but no one expected that to happen in the Olympics.”

Stona and Alekna had crossed paths at the 2023 NCAA championships, wit the two finishing second and third, respectively.

Alekna, a bronze medalist at the 2023 World Championships and the runner-up at the same event the year before, closed the Paris competition with throws of 226-0 (68.88) and 224-8 (68.49) on his next two attempts before fouling in the sixth round.

Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh, the 2022 world champion and fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, finished fourth with a best of 224-5 (68.41). “Discus throwing has really changed,” Ceh told the Chronicle. “It’s at such a high level right now.”

Reigning Olympic and world champion Daniel Stahl, 31, of Sweden, was seventh at 219-8 (66.95).