M. Alekna threw the discus 69.97 meters in his second attempt, momentarily holding the Olympic record. However, Jamaican Roje Stona soon surpassed him, throwing the discus exactly 70 meters and claiming gold.
Australian Matthew Denny placed third with a throw of 69.31 meters.
Andrius Gudžius, who threw the discus 66.55 meters, remained in eighth place.
Competition Overview:
In the first attempt, A. Gudžius threw 66.45 meters, securing fourth place. M. Alekna, meanwhile, threw 68.55 meters to take first place.
An unexpected leader emerged in Australian Matthew Denny, who threw the discus 69.31 meters. A. Gudžius improved his throw in the second attempt with 65.02 meters, but still trailed behind his son. M. Alekna set a new Olympic record in the second attempt with a throw of 69.97 meters.
After three attempts, four athletes were eliminated. Jamaicans Ralford Mullings (65.61 m) and Traves Smikle (64.97 m), Romanian Alin Alexandru Firfirca (64.45 m), and Samoan athlete Alex Rose (61.89 m) failed to advance.
Final Standings:
M. Alekna (69.97 m) - Silver, M. Denny (68.39 m), K. Čeh (68.41 m), A. Gudžius (66.45 m).
Jamaican Roje Stona claimed gold with a throw of 70 meters, breaking the previous Olympic record of 69 m 89 cm, which had stood since 2004 and was held by Virgil Alekna.
Mykolas Alekna, 21, and Andrius Gudžius, 33, had qualified for the final earlier in the day. Martynas Alekna, 23, the eldest son of Olympic champion Virgilijus Alekna, failed to qualify.
Only four athletes met the selection criteria to advance to the final. Myk. Alekna (67.47 m), Matthew Denny (66.83 m), Lukas Weisshaidinger (66.72 m), and Clemens Prufer (66.36 m) all threw the discus further than 66 meters.
Other notable athletes who failed to qualify or performed poorly include Olympic and world champion Daniel Stahl, Slovenian champion K. Čeh, and former world and European champion A. Gudžius.
Mykolas broke the 38-year-old world record this year with a throw of 74 m 35 cm in April in the USA. He is considered one of the main contenders for gold in the upcoming Olympics.