Son of a two-time Olympic champion, Mykolas Alekna will aim to carry on his father’s legacy in his own sport

Lithuanian discus thrower Mykolas Alekna is poised to carry on the legacy of his father, Virgilijus, who holds an Olympic record in the same discipline.

Following in your parents’ footsteps can be a daunting task: just ask Bronny James what it’s like to launch a sports career without comparisons to his father, LeBron, arguably the greatest basketball player in history. For some, the pressure and expectations might forge diamonds – and Paris 2024 has no shortage of this type of athlete. Lithuanian discus thrower Mykolas Alekna is poised to carry on the legacy of his father, Virgilijus, who holds an Olympic record in the same discipline. His 69.89-meter throw in Athens 2004 guaranteed the then-32-year-old a second Olympic gold medal, having also won in Sydney 2000. Despite Virgilijus cementing his family’s name in the record books, his son has already one-upped him, achieving a 74.35-meter throw in April which broke the longest-standing men’s track and field world record: Jürgen Schult’s 1986’s throw of 74.08 meters. It was a record the elder Alekna was chasing his entire career and got close only once: a personal record of 73.88 meters thrown just before the Sydney Games. “If you don’t change anything, you’ll be just like your father: without the world record,” Virgilijus said to Lithuanian news outlet Lrytas when asked what he said to his son a month prior to his record-breaking effort.