Every good parent wishes for their children to one day become better than them. But while there is no shortage of instances where this does indeed happen, some of these examples are quite a bit more spectacular than others.
A similar story happened very recently during the 2024 Paris Olympics. An Olympic record for the men's discus throw, which was set by Virgilijus Alekna during the 2004 Athens Olympics, stood untouched for 20 whole years. That is until it was finally broken by none other than the athlete's son, Mykolas Alekna. Scroll down to learn more!
All parents wish for their children to become the best they can be, and some live to see this come true in the most spectacular fashion possible
Image credits: IMAGO / Beautiful Sports
Mykolas Alekna, a 21-year-old discus thrower from Lithuania, made his Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Being a professional athlete is no easy job, and there are not many people who can do it. To even be able to compete at a world-class level usually takes a lot of talent and an almost inhuman amount of effort and dedication. And to become the best of the best and set records requires a whole lot more.
But what are the chances of two athletes like that coming from a single family? Well, while we can't tell you the exact percentage, this story is proof that it's absolutely possible, and when it does happen, it's nothing short of amazing.
Image credits: AFP
The young athlete came in as one of the favorites, already holding the world record for the furthest discus throw, but he still had to prove himself in the Olympics
Mykolas Alekna, a 21-year-old Lithuanian who made his debut in the Olympics during the 2024 Games held in Paris, was already one of the favorites due to his numerous impressive achievements in the past. This came as no surprise, as one of those achievements was the men's world record for the furthest distance of discus thrown, standing at 74.35 meters, which he had set just a few months prior.
And yet, the Olympic men's discus throw record of 69.89 meters, which was set by the man's father Virgilijus Alekna 2 decades ago during the 2004 Athens Olympics, was still standing strong. Needless to say, this proved to be a great motivation for the young athlete coming into the competition.
Image credits: REUTERS
He did when he made it to the finals and managed to break the Olympic men's discus throw record, which was set by his dad, Virgilijus Alekna, 2 decades ago
He made it to the finals with ease, and when the moment came during the second round, he made sure to give us something to remember. Even though the disc seemed a little wobbly, he managed to throw the discus a whopping 69.97 meters.
Unfortunately for Mykolas, his new Olympic record didn't stay untouched for nearly as long as his dad held his. "I felt I could do better. Maybe you saw it yourself, it was not very good, the discus was shaky. I thought I could do better, but I couldn't. I had that record, as you said, for 20 minutes. In four years, I hope it will stay mine for longer," said the young athlete with optimism when talking to LRT.
Image credits: Martynas Vizbelis
His new record, however, didn't stand nearly as long, as it was beaten around 20 minutes later by Jamaican discus thrower Roje Stona
His remaining 2 throws weren't as successful as his second attempt, and at the finish line, Mykolas was beaten by a Jamaican athlete, Roje Stona, an underdog who managed to beat the record once again by throwing it just 3 centimeters further, landing it at 70 meters and claiming the new Olympic record mere minutes later.
But the Lithuanian athlete wasn't disappointed by coming second. "It's really crazy. It's a nice final, it's nice to be part of it, I'm happy with the medal, I'm still bringing another medal to Lithuania, so I'm very happy about that. I didn't win, I'll do it next time. There is no regret, a medal is a medal," said Alekna while also praising Stona for his unexpectedly impressive performance.
Image credits: REUTERS
But Mykolas remained positive, praising his opponent for his impressive performance and promising to come back for the titles after the next 4 years
For now, Mykolas Alekna was able to bring home a silver medal, which despite his family's huge collection, is the first one coming from the Olympics. But to him, the sky is the limit, and he doesn't intend to stop here. "This is what the final is like... You can't draw the line, the results will go up and up with the years," summarized the man.
The commenters were just as impressed with the young athlete's performance as the rest of us and didn't spare the compliments to express this. At the same time, they were joking about how much pressure Mykolas's child will most likely have and that the men in this family are probably forbidden from doing dishes for obvious reasons.
Image credits: AFP
Lithuania is a relatively small country, with only around 3 million people worldwide and even fewer in the country. But when it comes to sports, particularly basketball, which has even been dubbed the country's second religion, they have a lot to be proud of. However, despite its lesser popularity, the discus throw and this nation are almost equally intertwined.
When it comes to discus throw, Lithuania currently has over 20 medals in this competition, with 6 of them being Olympic medals. These numbers would be impressive for any country, especially one that's so small.
Image credits: Anthony (not the actual photo)
Despite its size, Lithuania excels at discus throwing and has more impressive athletes who have brought home over 20 medals combined throughout the years
The sport itself has existed for many centuries and, according to Olympics.com, can be traced back to Greece around 708 BC. However, as time went by, it was left forgotten and was only rediscovered in the 1870s by German teacher Christian Georg Kohlrausch and his students.
As per Gintarė Grikštaitė and Dovilė Šeduikytė of LRT, this sport came to Lithuania around half a century later in 1921. But it wasn't until 1986, when Romas Ubartas became the European champion and Vaclavas Kidykas managed to snatch a bronze medal, that Lithuania became viewed as one of the best discus-throwing countries in the world. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Image credits: Carole Raddato (not the actual photo)
So, ultimately, Lithuanians have been among the elite discus throwers for more than 40 years. But even with all these achievements around, this father-son duo doesn't become any less spectacular. After all, how many times have you heard about someone holding a record for 2 decades, only for it to be broken by their child?
What did you think about this story? Do you know of any similar happenings? Share them all in the comments below!
The commenters were very impressed with Mykolas and his story and didn't spare the compliments while also adding some tasteful jokes
