Cal Track & Field: Mykolas Alekna Unleashes Longest Discus Throw in the World

Competing unattached as he preps for the Paris Olympics, Alekna's mark was his personal best

Mykolas Alekna, the two-time World Championships discus medalist, delivered the longest throw of his career at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational on Saturday at Edwards Stadium. 

His throw of 234 feet, 2 inches (71.39 meters) in his outdoor season debut is the top mark in the world this year and set stadium and meet records. It also elevates him to No. 10 on the all-time world list.

It will not eclipse his own Cal record because the 21-year-old Lithuanian is competing unattached this season as he prepares for the Paris Olympics this summer. By doing so, Alekna retains a redshirt season in his third year on campus.

Meanwhile, Cal’s Rowan Hamilton, a senior transfer from the University of British Columbia, won the hammer throw with a school-record mark of 246-2 (75.05 meters). Hamilton, a two-time World Championship participant, had three throws in excess of the year-old school record of 230-4 (70.22) by Kegan Schroeter.

Alekna, the collegiate recordholder at 232-11 (71.00), actually made four throws longer than any in the world this year, although the global outdoor season is just getting under way.

Along with two fouls, Alekna had throws of 229-1 (69.82), 223-10 (68.24) and 229-6 (69.96).

The world leader entering Saturday was Jamaica’s Traves Smiley, with a best of  222-6 (67.83).

The son of two-time Olympic champion Virgilijus Alekna, Mykolas was the silver medalist at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, and the bronze-medal winner at the ’23 Worlds in Budapest, Hungary.

The Paris Games will be his first Olympics.

Amazingly, he missed winning the NCAA championship in either of his first two collegiate seasons, and he will not compete at the meet this season.

Hamilton, who has a career best of 252-0 (76.80), competed at the NAIA level while at British Columbia. His mark Saturday moves him to No. 2 on the 2024 collegiate list, trailing only Trey Knight of Cal State Northridge at 250-6 (76.36).

In the women’s hammer throw, former Cal star and three-time NCAA champion Camryn Rogers of Canada made a winning throw of 252-2 (76.87), off both her season and lifetime bests.

Great Britain’s Anna Purchase, also formerly of Cal, was second in the women’s hammer at 232-2 (70.76) and Golden Bears sophomore Audrey Jacobs of the Netherlands was third in a personal-best of 213-11 (65.22), improving her No. 4 spot on the program’s all-time list.

Other Cal winners: Jason Plumb in the long jump at 25-0 3/4 (7.64), Jeff Duensing in the shot put at 61-1 1/4 (18.62), Amari Turner in the women’s pole vault at 13-11 1/4 (4.25), Caisa-Marie Lindfors in the women’s discus at 200-5 (61.09), Yan Hei Lai in the women’s high jump at 5-9 1/4 (1.76), Dylan Bissell in the men’s 5,000 (15:01.73) and the Bears’ 4x100 relay (39.87).

Junior Chase Williams placed third at 10.36, which moves him to No. 5 on Cal’s all-time list.