Throwing His Weight Around - Feature
The Best There Ever Was - Feature
AND STILL... - Feature
CAREER BESTS:
Discus: 75.56m (247-10) - World Record
CAREER HONORS
- Owns the World and collegiate records in the discus
- Only man to surpass 75 meters in the discus
- Also owns the European U20 discus record
- Youngest man to ever surpass 70 meters in the discus
- 2025 No. 1-ranked discus thrower worldwide (Track & Field News)
- 2023 No. 2-ranked discus thrower worldwide (Track & Field News)
- 2024 No. 3-ranked discus thrower worldwide (Track & Field News)
- 2024 Olympic Discus Silver Medalist
- 2022 World Discus Silver Medalist
- 2023 World Discus Bronze Medalist
- 2022 European Discus Champion (youngest ever at age 19)
- 2024 European Discus Bronze Medalist
- 2x Lithuanian Discus Champion (2022-23)
- 2023 European U23 Discus Champion
- 2021 World U20 Discus Champion
- 2021 European U20 Discus Champion
- Owns the ACC and Pac-12 conference records
- Owns the E.B. Cushing Stadium facility record
- Owns the Kentner Stadium facility record
- Owns the Millican Field facility record
- Owns the Edwards Stadium facility record
- Owns the Hornet Stadium facility record
- Owns the John McDonnell Field facility record
- Owns the Aztrack Sports Deck facility record
- Owns the European Championships meet record
- Owns the European U23 Championships meet record
- Owns the Oslo Bislett Games meet record
- Owns the NCAA West Regionals meet record
- Owns the ACC Outdoor Championships meet record
- Owns the Pac-12 Championships meet record
- Owns the Brutus Hamilton Invitational meet record
- Owns the Aztec Invitational meet record
- Owns the Cardinal Classic meet record
- Owns the Big Meet record
- Owns the school freshman record
- 2022 European Athletics Golden Tracks Men’s Rising Star Award winner
- 2x National Olympic Committee of Lithuania Best Male Athlete of the Year (2023-24)
- 2022 LRT Ambassador of the Year
- 1x European Athletics Men’s Athlete of the Month (April 2023)
- 3x Bowerman Semifinalist (2022-23, 25)
- Has appeared on The Bowerman Watch List 23 times, third-most in history and the most by any thrower
- 2022 USTFCCCA West Region Men’s Field Athlete of the Year
- 2022 Pac-12 Men’s Field Athlete of the Year
- 2022 Pac-12 Men’s Freshman of the Year
- 3x USTFCCCA First-Team All-American (2022, 23, 25)
- 2x NCAA Discus Silver Medalist (2022, 25)
- 2023 NCAA Discus Bronze Medalist
- 2025 ACC Discus Champion
- 2x Pac-12 Discus Champion (2022-23)
- 2025 All-ACC First Team (Outdoor)
- 6x USTFCCCA Men’s Athlete of the Week (2022 x 2, 2023 x 2, 2025 x 2)
- 7x Pac-12 Men’s Field Athlete of the Week (2022 x 4, 2023 x 3)
- 2x ACC Men's Field Athlete of the Week (2025 x 2)
- 1x All-ACC Academic
- 2x Cal Gatorade Student Athlete of the Month (April 2023, April 2025)
2025: Entered the season ranked as the top discus thrower in the world by
Track & Field News… semifinalist for The Bowerman… USTFCCCA West Region Men’s Field Athlete of the Year… First-Team All-American… First-Team All-ACC… ended the year as the top discus thrower in the world… threw the discus in six outdoor meets for Cal… placed second at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a mark of 66.77m (219-1)… at the NCAA West Regional, posted the best mark in the field with a best throw of 72.12m (236-7), good for a new meet record and a John McDonnell Field facility record… won the ACC discus title with a throw of 69.86m (229-2) that also marked a new ACC Championships record and a Kentner Stadium record… broke his own meet record with a mark of 71.29m (233-11) at The 130th Big Meet, earning ACC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week honors... crushed his own world record twice in the same series with a best mark of 75.56m (247-10) to become the first man to throw over 75 meters, also re-setting his Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational meet record and Millican Field facility record on his way to being named the USTFCCCA Division I Men’s Athlete of the Week… opened up his season with his first ACC record of the year (70.09m (229-11) at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational and was subsequently named the USTFCCCA Division I Men’s Athlete of the Week and the ACC Men’s Field Athlete of the Week… All-ACC Academic.
2024: National Olympic Committee of
Lithuania's Best Male Athlete of the Year... won a silver medal at the 2024 Olympic Games with a throw of 69.97m (229-6), surpassing the previous Olympic record... earned the top discus mark of either qualifying flight at the 2024 Olympics with a throw of 67.47m (221-4)... threw the discus a winning 69.93m (229-5) at the R. Ubartas Cup... posted a winning mark of 70.20m (230-3) at the Gyulai István Memorial... won
the FBK Games discus competition with a mark of 69.07m (226-7)… earned the bronze medal at the European Athletics Championships with a throw of 67.48m (221-4)… did not compete for Cal while redshirting in preparation for the Olympic Games… won four-straight meets including three Diamond League victories with marks of 70.70m (232-3), 68.82m (225-9), 70.91m (232-7) and 68.64m (225-2), with the third setting a new Oslo Bislett Games record… broke track & field’s longest-standing men’s world record with a throw of 74.35m (243-11) at the Oklahoma Throws Series World Invitational in Ramona, Oklahoma… opened his season with a mark of 71.39m (234-2) at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational, setting a new meet and Edwards Stadium record.
2023: National Olympic Committee of
Lithuania's Best Male Athlete of the Year... entered the season ranked as the second-best discus thrower in the world by
Track & Field News… won the bronze medal at the World Athletics Championships with a throw of 68.85m (225-10)... earned his second Lithuanian discus title with a throw of 69.30m (227-4)... European U23 champion... broke the European U23 Championships discus record and reached the Olympic qualifying standard with a throw of 67.87m (224-2)... semifinalist for The Bowerman after making every watch list since the preseason… posted the top four throws in collegiate history… First Team All-American… European Athletics Men’s Athlete of the Month (April)… Cal’s Gatorade Student-Athlete of the Month (April)… two-time USTFCCCA Men’s Athlete of the Week (April 11, May 2)… three-time Pac-12 Men’s Field Athlete of the Week (April 11, April 18, May 2)… competed in six outdoor meets for the Bears… took third place at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a throw of 63.25m (207-6)… broke the NCAA West Preliminary meet record and Hornet Stadium facility record with a winning mark of 67.75m (222-3)… smashed his own Pac-12 Championships meet record with his winning throw of 70.40m (230-11) and became just the second athlete in Cal history to earn multiple conference discus titles… shattered his own collegiate record at the 128th Big Meet with a throw of 71.00m (232-11), setting an unofficial world U23 record and official European U23 record and becoming the youngest man to ever eclipse the 70-meter mark… won the elite discus competition at the Mt. SAC Relays with a mark of 68.35m (224-3)… broke his own Brutus Hamilton Invitational record with a throw of 68.39m (224-4) to open the season.
2022: LRT Ambassador of the Year... National Olympic Committee of
Lithuania's Best Male Athlete of the Year... winner of the European Athletics Golden Tracks Men’s Rising Star Award… European Champion… youngest-ever European discus champion at age 19… broke the European Championship record with a throw of 69.78m (228-1)… World Silver Medalist… youngest world discus medalist in history… posted a throw of 69.27m (227-3) in the World Championship final after breaking the World qualifying round record with a toss of 68.91m (226-1)… won the SK Cosma Summer Cup with his throw of 67.63m (221-10)… threw the longest-ever discus mark by a teenager and fourth-best overall in the world at the BAUHAUS-galan Diamond League meet, taking second place at 69.81m (229-0)… Lithuanian Champion… posted a throw of 69.00m (226-3) at the Lithuanian Championships… semifinalist for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award... U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) West Region Men’s Field Athlete of the Year… First Team All-American… Pac-12 Men’s Field Athlete and Freshman of the Year… Cal’s first-ever men’s semifinalist for The Bowerman… as a freshman, posted 6 of the top 10 discus throws in NCAA history, including the all-time record… was the first Cal man in history to receive the USTFCCCA Division I Athlete of the Week Award and second Cal athlete ever to win it twice (March 22, May 3)… four-time Pac-12 Men’s Field Athlete of the Week (March 22, March 29, April 12, May 3)… competed in eight outdoor meets for the Bears…. finished second at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a throw of 66.15m (217-0)… tied the meet record at the NCAA West Prelims, throwing the discus 64.87m (212-10) for a new facility record at John McDonnell Field… set the all-time NCAA record of 68.73m (225-6) on his way to a title at the Pac-12 Championships… took first place at the Big Meet with a throw of 67.68m (222-0), breaking the NCAA record for the first time… finished second only to the reigning Olympic champion in the Elite section of the Mt. SAC Relays with his throw of 66.61m (218-6)… threw the discus 66.70m (218-10) to win the Aztec Invitational and set a new meet and Aztrack Sports Deck facility record… set a new meet record of 62.63m (205-6) at the Cardinal Classic.
BEFORE CAL: Named the 2021 World & European U20 Discus Throw Champion with a 2kg heave of 63.52m… 1.75kg discus PR of 69.81m… boasts the second- and third-best all-time U20 discus throw marks in the world… holds the Lithuanian U20 discus record… was a member of Jusis Training… also played soccer.
PERSONAL: Graduated with a degree in psychology… son of Virgilijus Alekna and Kristina Alekniene… father Virgilijus ranks No. 3 all-time in the discus and is a two-time Olympic and World champion... mother Kristina is a former long jumper... brother Martynas is also an Olympic discus thrower.
