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Lithuanian Mykolas Alekna's father was also a successful discus thrower.
CNN
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Lithuanian discus thrower Mikolas Alekna broke a world record that had stood for 40 years at the Oklahoma Throwing Series World Invitational Tournament in Ramona on Sunday.
The Lithuanian's distance of 74.35 meters was better than German Jürgen Schulte's 74.08 meters in 1986. According to Olympic.com, Schulte's breakthrough was the longest running record in track and field.
According to World Athletics, Alekna's throw distance was originally measured at 74.41 meters, but it was later revised and is pending approval.
“It's hard to understand what I did,” Alekna said after completing the feat. “I saw the pitch and thought maybe that day would come. And it just happened.”
Alekna came to Ramona with the longest throw of the season — his personal best of 71.39 meters on April 6 moved him to 10th all-time in the world — and he carried that momentum with him. All six of his attempts on Sunday were over 70 meters.
Born in Lithuania on September 28, 2002, Alekna is already one of the top athletes in the field.
He moved to the United States to train in 2021, becoming the youngest athlete to throw over 70 meters at the age of 20.
He is a two-time World Championship medalist and 2022 European Champion.
It seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Alekna's father, Virgilius, is an Olympic record holder in the same discipline. Virgilius threw 69.89 meters in Athens in 2004. This Lithuanian is his two-time world champion and Olympic champion.
Lithuania's long-standing discus tradition
Alekna's record throw is a testament to Lithuania's deep-rooted tradition in this athletics competition, with the country enjoying great success in the discus throw.
According to state broadcaster LRT, Lithuania's discus history began in 1921, but the country did not achieve success until 1986, when Romas Ubartas became the European champion for the Soviet Union. Two years later, he won a silver medal at the Seoul Olympics.
After independence from the Soviet Union, Ubartas became the first Lithuanian to win a gold medal at the Barcelona Games. Since then, every Olympic discus final has featured at least one Lithuanian athlete.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Lithuanian discus throwers won five medals at the Olympics, eight at the World Championships, and six at the European Championships, nine of which were gold medals.
Add Alekna's record to this impressive medal count, and it's a remarkable achievement for a country of just over 3 million people.