OKLAHOMA – Mykolas Alekna broke the longest-standing world record in men’s athletics on April 14, producing a mammoth 74.35m discus throw to shatter the nearly 38-year-old previous mark.

The 21-year-old Lithuanian, a silver medallist at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene and bronze medallist at the 2023 Budapest World Championships, broke the record at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational.

The low-key event in the Midwest of the United States is dedicated only for throwing field events. Alekna’s record-breaking throw came on his fifth attempt.

The mark is subject to the usual ratification procedures, World Athletics said.

The record betters Jurgen Schult’s mark of 74.08m set on June 6, 1986, while representing East Germany.

Until April 14, Schult’s mark had been the oldest men’s world record in athletics, eclipsing the 25 years and 79 days held by Jesse Owens for the long jump.

The oldest track world record is the women’s 800m by Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983.

Alekna’s heroics came just a day after Yaime Perez of Cuba recorded a 73.09m in Ramona for the longest women’s discus throw since 1989.

Alekna, a fishing enthusiast, is the son of former double Olympic discus champion Virgilijus Alekna, who won golds at the 2000 and 2004 Games.

He said in a 2023 interview published on the World Athletics website: “My father is my big idol. He’s a legendary thrower, I want to be like him one day. Maybe even be better than him? We will see what happens.”

With his exploits in Oklahoma, Alekna has now surpassed his father, who now ranks third on the world all-time list with his 73.88m throw in 2000.

Alekna’s brother Martynas is also a thrower.

Explaining how he got started in the sport, the junior at the University of California previously said: “I was 16 years old.

“Before that I used to do football, I used to do high jump. 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.” 

Meanwhile, Australian athletics hailed the prospect of another Olympic contender after long jumper Chris Mitrevski surpassed his personal best at the national championships over the weekend.

The 27-year-old’s winning jump of 8.32m in Adelaide earned him a ticket to Paris and marked him as a solid chance for a spot on the Games podium.

The jump would have earned bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, where Greek Miltiadis Tentoglou took gold on count-back after jumping 8.41m.

“I didn’t know what an 8.30 jump felt like because I’ve never done it before, but it felt better than anything I’ve ever done. I just had so much time in the air,” said Mitrevski, whose previous best was 8.21m.

“I had a pretty good nationals a few years ago when I scratched the surface and started to believe that I could push for a medal and not just be a number.

“I hope this is a step towards consistency and jumping even further.”

Mitrevski was among the first 14 track and field athletes named in Australia’s Olympic team on April 14.

Australia took a women’s high jump silver and bronze medals in the women’s javelin and men’s decathlon at the Tokyo Olympics, and are aiming higher at the Paris Games after 2023’s successful world championships in Budapest.

Australia finished Budapest with a record haul of six medals, bettering the previous best of four.

Former high jump world champion Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers, the Budapest high jump bronze medallist, joined Mitrevski in the first 14 picks, along with silver-winning race-walker Jemima Montag.

Tokyo Olympics 800m finalist Peter Bol, who was investigated and cleared of doping in 2023 after failing a drug test, was also included in the Paris team.

Bol placed second in the 800m at the nationals behind 20-year-old Luke Boyes, who finished just outside the Olympic qualifying time and was not included.

World champion Nina Kennedy and fellow pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall, who won a bronze at Budapest, are expected to be named in the team once they fulfil a minimum quota of competing at domestic events.

Marschall suffered a sprained ankle when he fell awkwardly on his pole during the national championships and will miss the opening events of the Diamond League season starting in China this week, Athletics Australia high performance chief Andrew Faichney told Australian Associated Press.

“The X-rays showed no bone damage. It’s a whole lot better than it might have been,” Faichney said.

AFP, REUTERS