Alekna, beaten by Ceh, calmly assesses his performance and praises Slovenia’s talent

Mykolas Alekna did not dwell on losing the Diamond League title in Brussels. The Lithuanian world record-holder threw 70.14 meters for silver and calmly praised the Slovenian who beat him.

Kristjan Ceh won the final with a 71.29-meter throw, setting a competition record and reclaiming the Diamond League champion’s title after a four-year break. Paris Olympic champion Roje Stona of Jamaica finished third with 68.86 meters.

Alekna said he could have produced a better result, but technical mistakes affected his decisive attempts. He also suggested that psychology may have played a role. “As always, you want to win, but the feeling is not bad. I actually feel quite calm because I threw over 70 meters. That was the goal, although it was not enough to win, but one competition is still ahead, so the emotions are not bad,” he told LRT.

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As always, you want to win, but the feeling is not bad. I actually feel quite calm because I threw over 70 meters. That was the goal, although it was not enough to win, but one competition is still ahead, so the emotions are not bad.

He spoke warmly about Ceh, calling him probably the most talented discus thrower in terms of both physique and technique. “It is good that there are rivals like that, because we push each other forward. In some competitions he wins, in others I do. I think that duel will continue for a long time,” Alekna told LRT journalist Milda Vilikanskytė.

Australia’s Matthew Denny, Sweden’s Daniel Stahl and Germany’s Henrik Janssen completed the next three places. The Brussels finalists will meet again next weekend at the Vilnius Mayor’s Cup, where the competition begins on Sept. 12 at Vingis Park Stadium.

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It is good that there are rivals like that, because we push each other forward. In some competitions he wins, in others I do. I think that duel will continue for a long time.