A heavy favorite to win the title, Alekna led the competition from his very first throw.
Alekna Wins European U23 Gold, Reaches Olympic Standard
ESPOO, Finland – It took just one throw for California track & field’s Mykolas Alekna to break the European U23 Championships record – and punch his ticket to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
After starting off his series with a throw of 67.87m (222-8) to surpass the mark set by Slovenian Kristjan Čeh in 2021 and clinch another medal for his collection, the reigning European discus champion followed that up with an even better attempt that sailed 68.34m (224-2). It was his farthest throw since the Pac-12 Championships in May and put him well over the Olympic qualifying standard of 67.20m (220-5).
Second place went to Marius Karges of Germany (62.56m/205-3), while Spain’s Yasiel Sotero (61.69m/202-4) took third.
Alekna has now won gold at three levels of European competition – he arrived at Cal two years ago as the reigning U20 champion.
He will now turn his attention to the upcoming World Championships in August, where he will once again represent his native Lithuania on the biggest stage of track & field.
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal track & field, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalTFXC), Instagram (@caltfxc) and Facebook (@Cal Cross Country/Track and Field).
CLICK HERE to Read the Full Original Article at California Golden Bears Athletics…