World T&F Championships: Cal's Mykolas Alekna Wins Silver in Discus at Age 19
Cal throws coach Mo Saatara would not say he saw this coming, but he also isn’t terribly surprised that Mykolas Alekna, who just completed his freshman season in Berkeley, delivered a silver medal in the men’s discus at the World Championships on Tuesday night in Eugene, Oregon.
“Nobody said he could do this, but honestly I thought it was a possibility,” Saatara said. “He just marched forward. The way he looks at everything, his preparation and training are very meticulous.
“You could see if he puts his mind to it he can do some very special stuff.”
The 19-year-old from Lithuania threw 227 feet, 3 inches (69.27 meters) to finish second against the best in the world, giving Cal two silver medalists in a span of three days. Camryn Rogers won silver in the women’s hammer throw on Sunday.
He became the youngest athlete to win a medal in the event at the World Championships.
Mykolas Alekna
Photo by Kirby Lee, USA Today
Kristjan Čeh, a 23-year-old from Slovenia, won the gold medal with a championship record throw of 233-4 (71.13). Čeh had a second throw beyond 70 meters, so he proved to be the class of the field.
Andrius Gudzius, Alekna’s 31-year-old Lithuanian teammate, took home the bronze medal with a mark of 221-6 (67.51). Gudzius won the world title in 2017.
Sweden’s Daniel Stahl, the reigning Olympic champion and defending world champ, was fourth at 220-2 (67.10).
The competition, featuring the top four finishers from last year’s Tokyo Olympics, was held in less-than-ideal conditions at Hayward Field, with still air that provided no lift for throwers.
“He did a really great job,” Saatara said. “Conditions were pretty tough because there was no air in the stadium. Nothing.”
Discus medalists Mykolas Alekna, Kristjan Čeh and Andrius Gudzius
Alekna comes from championship stock, the son of Virgilius Alekna, who won two Olympic titles, two world championships and owns the second-longest throw in history. But he won his world titles at ages 31 and 33, his Olympic golds at 28 and 32.
His youngest medal finish in either of the two major events came when he won a silver at 1997 World Championships at the age of 25 - six years older than his son is now.
“This is something special,” Saatara confirmed. “Obviously, he is a magnificent competitor and has a great understanding of the event. There’s a lot of knowledge there and his development was very easy.
“But the first time at World Championships, to do this absolutely amazing.”
Alekna delivered the second-longest throw of his young career in the fourth round of Tuesday night’s competition. His career-best is the 229-0 (69.81) effort he had while finishing second at the Diamond League meet in Stockholm, Sweden late last month.
Those two marks count as the two longest by a college athlete in any competition. Alekna set the NCAA record against a field of college athletes with a 225-6 (68.72) effort at the Pac-12 Championships in May, also at Hayward Field.
On top of Rogers’ silver-medal performance in the hammer, Saatara acknowledged, “I don’t know what else I can ask for. It’s extremely, extremely impressive on their part.
"This only happens once in a lifetime.”
Maybe. Both athletes will get the chance to build in this a year from now at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. A year later comes the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Cover photo of Mykolas Alekna by Kirby Lee, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo