Mykolas Alekna

Mykolas Alekna was born on September 28, 2002, in Vilnius, Lithuania. As the son of double Olympic discus champion Virgilijus Alekna, he was exposed to athletics from an early age, alongside his brother Martynas, also a discus thrower. Alekna quickly established himself in the sport, becoming the World and European U20 champion in discus in 2021. His talent was further highlighted when he broke the longest-standing men’s world record in discus throw at the 2024 Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational, achieving 74.35 meters, surpassing a record that had stood since 1986. He continued to break his own world record in 2025, becoming the first man to throw over 75 meters with a mark of 75.56 meters.

His career progression includes several significant achievements. In 2022, at just 19 years old, he became the youngest world discus medalist in history, earning a silver medal at the World Championships. That same year, he won the European Championships, setting a competition record and becoming the youngest-ever winner in his discipline. Alekna has consistently performed at a high level, securing a bronze medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships and a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He also holds multiple collegiate records while competing for the University of California.

Alekna’s accolades extend beyond his competition results. He has been named the National Olympic Committee of Lithuania’s Best Male Athlete of the Year twice (2023-2024) and received the European Athletics Golden Tracks Men’s Rising Star Award in 2022. His consistent performance and record-breaking throws have positioned him as a dominant figure in discus, earning him top rankings from *Track & Field News* and numerous athlete of the week honors from organizations like USTFCCCA and Pac-12.