Who is Mykolas Alekna? Everything about the Lithuanian Discus thrower who broke the oldest men's world record in athletics that stood for 38 years

Mykolas Alekna, a discus thrower from Lithuania, has made headlines after smashing the oldest track and field world record in the men’s category that stood for almost 38 years.

With his phenomenal performance at the Oklahoma Throws Series meeting in Ramona, on April 14, Sunday, he shattered the long-standing record with a gigantic throw of 74.35m, previously established by Seoul Olympics 1988 gold medalist Jürgen Schult from Germany who set the mark of 74.08m in June 1986.

Alekna was brilliant throughout the competition as he threw over the 70m mark in all his six attempts. All his attempts read 72.21m, 70.32m, 72.89m, 70.51m, 74.41m (WR), and 70.50m.

This achievement of the Lithuanian discus thrower will now undergo the usual ratification process. However, the performance makes him a formidable contender for the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024.

On that note, let’s explore more about the 21-year-old who stunned the track and field community with his world-record performance.

Mykolas Alekna’s family and hometown

Hailing from Vilnius, Mykolas Alekna was born on September 28, 2002, to two-time Olympic champion discus thrower Virgilijus Alekna and Kristina Sablovskyte. His older brother, Martynas Alekna, too is a discus thrower.

Mykolas Alekna’s Education

Alekna attended the Saules private high school. He is now a junior at the University of California in Berkeley.

Mykolas Alekna’s junior career

In 2021, Alekna became the World U20 gold medalist, registering a championship record throw of 69.81m, and the European U20 champion with a best effort of 68.00m (both weighing 1.75 kg). Additionally, he holds the second and third-best U20 discus throw performances in the world.

A look at Alekna’s top achievements

Silver Medalist Mykolas Alekna of Team Lithuania poses during the medal ceremony for the Men's Discus Final on day six of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 20, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images for World Athletics)

Despite being just 21 years old, Alekna has claimed two medals at the World Athletics Championships, including a silver in 2022 (69.27m), and a bronze medal in 2023 (68.85m). In the World Championships 2022, he made history as the youngest medalist in the discus throw.

He is also the reigning European Champion in his signature event, having attained a championship record throw of 69.78m in Munich in 2022. In addition, he bagged the gold at the European U23 Championships in 2023.

Alekna achieved another prominent feat at the Big Meet in April 2023 when he became the youngest athlete in the sport’s history to throw over the 70m mark, with a then-personal best of 71.00m.

He also bagged the Men's Rising Star Award at the Golden Tracks Award Ceremony in October 2022 in Tallinn, Estonia.