Although the World Athletics Championships are coming to an end, the Lithuanians are not finishing their performance in Tokyo (Japan) yet. To be more precise, part of the national team is just starting action in the Olympic stadium. One of them is Mykolas Alekna, who started early on Saturday morning in the discus throw qualification and made it to the final of the competition.
The track and field athlete failed to meet the qualification standard (66.50 m), so all three throws had to be made. On the first attempt, the discus flew 65.39 m, the second throw was not counted, and on the third attempt the tool fell to practically the same place (65.29 m). This result allowed the Lithuanian to take 8th place in the qualification. 12 participants made it to the final, the result of the last one to enter was 64.99 m.
Martynas Alekna and Andrius Gudžius also successfully crossed the qualification barrier, so the men’s discus throw final will be historic. For the first time, three representatives of Lithuania will compete in the discus throw final of the World Championships. The most important match of the season will start on Sunday at 2:10 p.m. and will be broadcast live on LRT.
“We wanted to do better, but it’s difficult for everyone in qualifying. Some have fared better, some worse. I’m very happy for my brother. Maybe I burned a lot of energy to be happy for him (laughs), but it’s very nice that he was so lucky. The result was a bit surprising, but he was really in a very good mood. He seemed so confident from the morning. In the sector, self-confidence was visible, fast and rhythmic shots were made. Everything you need,” Mykolas Alekna spoke positively about his brother. Martynas Alekna made it to his first World Championship final, and the result achieved was the second best in his career (67.16 m).
Mykolas Alekna, who lost to his brother in the competition for the first time, said that his performance lacked energy. According to the discus thrower, at least a few athletes will fight for medals: “I put in too little energy and the rhythm was gone. I’ll agree. Everything is done, training is going very well, so you will need to rest, calm down. I think I’m ready. My brother will have to take revenge tomorrow. A lot of those competitors are Daniel [Stahl], Christian [Cheh], [Matthew] Denny. The same Martynas is in great shape. I didn’t even list them all.”
So far, Mykolas Alekna’s achievements at the World Championships have been impressive – in 2022, the Lithuanian became vice-champion in Oregon (USA), and in 2023 he won bronze in Budapest (Hungary). The athlete, who made his debut at the Olympic Games last year, won second place, and his participation in the European Championships is also marked by medals – in 2022, Mykolas Alekna became the champion of the Old Continent in Munich (Germany), and in 2024 in Rome (Italy) he decorated his neck with a bronze medal.
We remind you that this year the athlete broke the world record for the second time. Last year in Ramona (USA), Mykolas Alekna’s discus flew 74.35 m, and this year – 75.56 m.
Lithuania is represented by 11 track and field athletes at the World Championships. The Planet Championships in the Far East take place from September 13 to 21.
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Photo by Alfredas Pliadis
