What do you inherit from a mum or dad who has tasted athletic success? The genes, actually, in addition to the alternative for early immersion in sport and the entry to top-level knowhow.
But together with these presents come curses, maybe the most difficult of that are the expectations of being the youngster of an elite athlete. And when your father is a two-time Olympic and two-time World champion, each the presents and curses are multiplied manyfold.
Rising son: Mykolas desires to higher the achievements of his father Virgilijus Alekna (left), a two-time World and two-time Olympic champion. | Photo credit score: Getty Images
Awe and certainty
So when 21-year-old Mykolas Alekna broke a world document in the discus throw that had stood since 1986, the preliminary awe started to slowly share house with the feeling that this was hardly sudden. After all, Mykolas’ father, Virgilijus, is considered one of discus’ all-time greats. He stood on the prime step of an Olympic podium in Sydney (2000) and Athens (2004). Alekna senior additionally received gold at the World Championships in Paris (2003) and Helsinki (2005).
Mykolas Alekna’s mammoth throw of 74.35 metres at the Oklahoma Throws Series competitors final weekend shattered the longest standing world document in males’s athletics. The earlier mark of 74.08 metres was set by German athlete Jurgen Schult on June 6, 1986. Alekna’s throw was initially measured at 74.41m however later revised. The document is topic to ratification.
Alekna’s document throw was his fifth try at the low-key occasion in the US Midwest devoted solely to throwing discipline occasions and fashioned part of a sequence of six 70m-plus throws by the Lithuanian. Competing on a weekend that was blessed with good throwing circumstances, Alekna launched the discus and pointed at it because it flew by means of the air, realizing he had uncorked a particular one.
In addition to breaking the world document, the throw bumped his father to 3rd on the all-time record. Virgilijus Alekna recorded a better of 73.88m in 2000.
“It’s really hard to grasp yet,” the new world document holder advised Lithuanian public media outlet LRT.lt. “It was a very good competition with all the conditions for a world record — strong winds, warm weather. I managed to make a technical throw. I’m still in a bit of shock, I’m very happy. Of course, the world record is not my goal — the Olympic gold is the goal for the season.”
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Alekna mentioned he texted his father and the response was typical. “He just said good job. A man of few words, just like me.”
Early mastery
Currently a junior at the University of California, Alekna is already a two-time medallist at the World Championships. He captured silver at the 2022 Worlds in Oregon and a bronze final summer season in Budapest. He can also be a European champion, profitable gold at Munich in 2022, and a World Under-20 champion, claiming the prestigious junior title in Nairobi in 2021.
Discus athletes are likely to peak later — for Alekna to be so profitable at 21 is phenomenal. His early mastery is all the extra outstanding when you think about that he didn’t begin till he was 16 when he determined to affix his older brother, Martynas, additionally a discus thrower, at a neighborhood sports activities membership.
“Before that I used to do football, I used to do high jump,” Alekna advised World Athletics. “I was a striker. I was pretty good when I was young. But I grew a lot, my feet got bigger. I was slower and that’s when I transitioned to discus. I was pretty late, I suppose. My parents only wanted me to do sports. It didn’t matter what sports, just to do something. I have always had an interest in discus throw, so I was able to tame this sport quickly.”
Alekna has lengthy arms, vast shoulders, and could be very versatile, which is ideal for the discus. Although 6’5” tall, the lean Alekna will not be considered one of the larger males in the self-discipline. His father is 6’7” and weighed 130 kg in his prime. Olympic champion Daniel Stahl is 6’7” as effectively and weighs 155 kg, whereas World champion Kristjan Ceh stands at a towering 6’9”!
“I wouldn’t say I’m strong,” he advised Track and Field News. “I mean, especially professional discus throwers are way stronger than I am. I don’t focus on the weightroom that much because I think that discus technique is way more important than lifting. At least it works for me.”
Another factor that works for Alekna is the unparalleled expertise of his father. “I was able to learn from his mistakes and not my own. This is what led to the rapid jump of the results, because I didn’t have to make my own mistakes,” he mentioned.
A transfer that paid off
Indeed, his choice to depart Lithuania and research in the USA was knowledgeable by his father’s expertise. “My dad did a few training camps here and he really liked it,” mentioned Alekna. “He said that the training conditions and facilities in the US are way better than in Lithuania, and I could get a good education here. He always wanted me to come here and I wanted to come here as well.”
Both father and son explored a spread of choices earlier than deciding on the University of California — the coaching methodology was much like the one Alekna adopted in Lithuania. The transfer has paid off spectacularly, with the 21-year-old now eyeing a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I’m hungry and I want those medals,” mentioned Alekna. “They will never be enough, especially when I’ve felt that taste. That hunger doesn’t go away and only grows. If I manage to avoid injuries and train as hard as I do, there will be even more titles in the future. I want to be stable in the most important competitions as it is consistency that brings medals.”
Battling giants: Alekna is decided to win the greatest titles, however with the likes of World champion Kristjan Ceh (left) and Olympic champion Daniel Stahl (centre) acting at a excessive stage, the males’s discus is considered one of the hardest monitor and discipline occasions to medal in. | Photo credit score: Getty Images
It received’t come straightforward, for the competitors is tight. With Stahl, Ceh, enhancing Samoan Alex Rose and Olympic, World and European bronze medallist Lukas Weisshaidinger acting at a excessive stage, the males’s discus is considered one of the hardest monitor and discipline occasions to medal in.
But Alekna has a champion’s obsessive depth — he says the solely time his head isn’t full of discus ideas is when he goes fishing. Besides, he has the benefit of chasing an extraordinary benchmark; even when he comes up quick, he can have been very profitable.
“My father is my big idol,” mentioned Alekna. “He has shown by his example that steady work brings results. He always taught me that if you start something, you cannot stop. He’s legendary, I want to be like him one day. Maybe even be better than him? We will see what happens.”
