Mykolas Alekna Breaks World Record in Discus Again - Twice

The Cal junior improved his year-old WR by nearly four feet in competition at Oklahoma

Mykolas Alekna / Photo by James Molgaard, KLC fotos

Mykolas Alekna continues to stretch the limits of what is possible in the discus throw.

The 22-year-old Lithuanian, competing in his final season as a Cal athlete, twice broke his own year-old world record in the event Sunday at the Oklahoma Throw Series at Ramona, Okla.

“Amazing,” Alekna said in a post-competition interview with pauliethrows on Instagram. “I came to this meet with a clear mission. It was really intense and competitive and it turned out to be amazing.

“I think I can throw ever farther.”

"A great day," Cal throws coach Mo Sataara said.

Alekna opened Sunday’s competition with a world-record heave of 245 feet, 8 inches (74.89 meters), eclipsing the mark of 243-11 (74.35) he recorded last year at Millican Field. That erased the 38-year-old world standard of 243-0 (74.08) set by East Germany’s Jurgen Schult.

Mykolas Alekna / Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

After fouling on his second and third attempts, Alekna stretched the world record to 247-10 (75.56), eclipsing his minutes-old mark by more than 2 feet.

"We prepared to do well and he’s in really good shape right now," Sataara said. "Mainly what we wanted to do coming in is be stable, replicate the same things he’s been doing in practice and let the energy take over.”

Alekna fouled on his final two throws, but will return to Berkeley as the owner of the two longest things in history.

These also count as Cal and collegiate records, a year after his best marks were not eligible for that because he was competing unattached while bypassing the college season to prepare for the Paris Olympics.

Australia’s Matthew Denny, who flirted with Aleena’s previous record when he threw 243-7 (74.25) on Thursday at Ramona, improved his best with a fourth-round throw of 245-4 (74.78), which is now the third-longest in history.

Mykolas Alekna, second from right, poses with his rivals / Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

The top five finishers all broke 70 meters, which is a significant threshold in the discus. Sataara called it the greatest discus competition in history, which is hard to argue considering the world record was eclipsed three times.

"All the guys were energized, super-positive and motivated. It’s so good for the sport because it brings a lot of attention to the throws," Sataara said.

Denny has become Alekna’s chief rival over the past two seasons, including at 2024 Olympics, where Alekna won a silver medal and Denny captured the bronze. Jamaica’s Roje Stone was a surprise gold-medal winner at Paris.

Alekna has dominated Denny in head-to-head matchups since the start of 2022, winning 15 of 16 meetings, including an 9-1 edge in 2024. “We don’t really look at that stuff too much. You can’t control other peopl." Sataara said. "I will say Matthew Denny is one of the greatest competitors ever.”

Elite throwers gravitate to the Oklahoma facility because of winds that are favorable and legal in the discus. “Excellent conditions. Good weather. Really good energy," Sataara said.

Alekna will focus on the college season through the remainder of the spring. His next meet -- likely his last at Berkeley's Edwards Stadium -- will be the Big Meet against Stanford on May 3. Then he will prep for the ACC, NCAA regionals and NCAA nationals.

On Thursday, two-time Olympic women’s discus champion Valerie Allman set U.S. and North American records with a throw of 241-2 (73.52), the farthest throw in the world since 1989.

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