Cal Track and Field: Mykolas Alekna Advances to Finals of the European Championships
Cal rising sophomore Mykolas Alekna advanced to the finals in the men’s discus at the European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany.
Now the 19-year-old from Lithuania must face a loaded field on Friday that includes the top six throwers in the world this season.
Alekna, who won a silver medal at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, last month, was second in his qualifying flight Wednesday and tied for fourth overall.
He threw 65.48 meters (214 feet, 10 inches) on his final attempt, well off his best of 69.81 (229-0) that set the collegiate record as a freshman this spring and puts him No. 4 on the 2022 world list. Alekna threw 63.91 (209-8) and 61.82 (202-10) on his first two attempts on Wednesday.
Alekna, whose father Virgilius Alekna was a two-time Olympic and two-time world champion, won the European and World under-20 titles a year ago, before enrolling at Cal.
Slovenia’s Kristjan Ceh, who won the World Championships at Eugene and has been the season’s most consistent performer, set a meet record in qualifying with a mark of 69.09 (226-8). The 23-year-old, who is second on the world list, was fifth at the Tokyo Olympics last year.
Lithuania’s Andrius Gudzius, 31, had the second-best qualifying mark of 66.70 (218-10). Gudzius finished third, one spot behind Alekna, at the World Championships, and is fifth in the season global rankings.
Reigning Olympic champion Daniel Stahl of Sweden was third in qualifying at 66.39 (217-9). The 29-year-old is the 2022 world leader but finished just fourth in Eugene and has had an uneven season. He won the European title in 2019.
Austria’s Lukas Weibhaidinger, 30, matched Alekna’s qualifying mark of 65.48 (214-10). He won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics but was just 10th at the Worlds in Eugene. Weibhaidinger resides at No. 6 on the 2022 world list.
The No. 6 qualifier was 28-year-old Simon Petterson of Sweden with a throw of 62.39 (204-8). Pettersson is third on the current world list, won a silver medal at the Tokyo Games and was fifth in Eugene last month.
Cover photo of Mykolas Alekna by Kirby Lee, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo