On Sunday, the men’s discus throw final crowned the nine-day World Athletics Championships in Tokyo (Japan). In the curious and even several hours final, Mykolas Alekna performed best among the Lithuanians. The world record holder won the silver medal, and the discus flew 67.84 m (62.91-67.84-66.00-x-64.57-x) on the best attempt.
The Swede Daniel Stahl , who won the gold medal, only overtook the Lithuanian who had been leading until then by the last throw (70.47 m). The bronze medal was unexpectedly won by Samoa’s Alex Rose (66.96 m). The high places in the rainy final were taken by Andrius Gudžius (63.43 m) and Martynas Alekna (63.34 m), who qualified in the sixth and seventh positions respectively.
Mykolas Alekna threw the discus first according to the starting lineup. After his first attempt (62.91 m), the race was postponed until the rain in the stadium weakened. The sector was drained after each throw, and the athletes with ungrateful conditions had different successes. If some managed to get closer to their usual results, then others in the sector fell or did not make a single qualifying shot.
“I think that no one expected such a final. We didn’t know what was going to happen. Everything went well. Of course, we wanted to win, but Daniel Stahl showed that he is still at the top of the sport and is a true legend of athletics. My first throw was very cautious, but Daniel and I talked about how that sector was not as slippery for us as for other athletes. It depends on the shoes and technique. I would have continued the competition, but most of them said they wanted to stop,” Mykolas Alekna paid tribute to the Swede, who won the third gold medal at the World Championships.
After the final, which caused a lot of challenges, the Lithuanian was a bit upset, but he did not miss the opportunity to thank his relatives who are walking their career path together: “I am always grateful to coach Mantas Jusis, as well as coach Mohamad Saatara, with whom we worked for four years, and now our paths have diverged. You never know, maybe those paths will cross again. I thank the family and everyone who supported. I really have endless support from those around me and team members.”
During the final, Mykolas Alekna obviously suffered from muscle pain, which could have arisen due to fatigue. However, this did not prevent him from continuing the fight, and the final itself will be remembered both for the medal won and for the wet sector and the suspension of the competition: “During the warm-up, both calves were contracted, which also attracted them during the competition. After the fourth or fifth attempt, it jerked so much that it hurt. Since the competition didn’t take place for a while, my body was dehydrated, even though I tried to maintain electrolytes. Because of the fatigue, I guess [he was pulling the muscles], the body gave signals. However, I was determined to participate. The best athletes adapt, so I have nothing to complain about. I think it all boils down to one memory. It’s a really memorable race.”
The athlete, who was overtaken by his opponent at the last moment, said that he did not pay attention to the results of others, and he was good with the slip, so the throws were of quite high quality: “I didn’t hang up the medal prematurely and was preparing for the sixth attempt. I tried to concentrate on myself. For me, the slip factor was not great. Of course, it is wet and it is not fun to throw, because the disc can slip. Others threw with different shoes or throwing technique. Whoever could, tried to improve the situation. I’m broken, so I definitely wouldn’t complain about that skiing.”
22-year-old Mykolas Alekna started at the third World Championships and added a third medal to his collection. In 2022, the discus thrower won silver in Oregon (USA), and in 2023 he won a bronze medal in Budapest (Hungary). The athlete, who made his debut at the Olympic Games in Paris (France) last year, became vice-champion, and the statistics at the European Championships are no less impressive: in 2022 in Munich (Germany) Mykolas Alekna won the title of champion, and in 2024 in Rome (Italy) he took third place. We remind you that this year in Ramona (USA) the athlete improved the world record for the second time. This one (75.56 m) was ratified just before the World Championships. In addition, in 2025, Mykolas Alekna triumphed in the final of the Diamond League for the first time.
A total of 11 Lithuanians competed in the world championships held in Tokyo. The discus throwers performed best, and in addition to them, middle-distance runner Gabija Galvydytė (12th and 16th place), javelin thrower Edis Matusevičius (13th place), triple jumper Dovilė Kilty (13th place) and multi-athlete Beatričė Juškevičiūtė (14th place) made it to the TOP16.
The next World Cup in 2027 will take place in Beijing (China). Next year, the European Championships in Birmingham (Great Britain) await the athletes.
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Photo by Alfredas Pliadis
