In Ramona, Oklahoma on Sunday, Mykolas Alekna set a new men’s world record in the discus event with an incredible throw of 74.35m. This broke the previous record of 74.08m set by Jurgen Schult in 1986, which had stood for 16 years before Alekna was born. The 21-year-old athlete also achieved a series of six throws over 70m during the competition.
Mykolas Alekna comes from a family of accomplished discus throwers, with his father Virgilijus Alekna holding the third spot on the world all-time list with a throw of 73.88m from 2000. The younger Alekna’s achievement follows Cuba’s Yaime Perez setting the longest women’s discus throw since 1989 with a throw of 73.09m the day before in Ramona.
Alekna started strong with a throw of 72.21m and continued to impress with throws of 70.32m and 72.89m in the following rounds, solidifying his position as the fourth best discus thrower of all time. On his fifth attempt, he broke the record with a throw of 74.35m, making history with his performance.
The record-breaking throw by Mykolas Alekna is subject to the usual ratification process but it showcases his talent and solidifies his place in the history of men’s discus throwing
