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European silver medalist Mykolas Alekna admits higher expectations: 'Of course, I wanted gold'
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡น Lithuania /Sports

European silver medalist Mykolas Alekna admits higher expectations: 'Of course, I wanted gold'

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Lithuanian discus thrower Mykolas Alekna won a silver medal at the European Championships, falling short of his gold medal expectations.
  • Alekna set a new European Championship record on his first throw with 69.89 meters, but was surpassed by Slovenia's Kristjan ฤŒehas, who threw 70.83 meters and ultimately won gold.
  • Despite not achieving his goal of gold, Alekna expressed satisfaction with his silver medal, acknowledging he might not have been at the championships six months prior.

Mykolas Alekna secured a silver medal at the European Championships, though he admitted to higher expectations for gold. The Lithuanian discus thrower's first throw of 69.89 meters initially set a new championship record. However, Slovenia's Kristjan ฤŒehas quickly surpassed this with a throw of 70.83 meters, going on to win the gold medal with a final distance of 72.51 meters.

Of course, I wanted gold, you always expect that, everyone expects that. I am not as happy as I could be, next time, next time.

โ€” Mykolas AleknaFollowing his silver medal win at the European Championships, Alekna expressed his feelings about the result.

After the final, Alekna shared his disappointment, stating, "Of course, I wanted gold, you always expect that, everyone expects that. I am not as happy as I could be, next time, next time." He acknowledged that winning silver would have been satisfactory six months ago, but the pursuit of gold remains.

If someone had told me six months ago that I would win silver at the European Championships, I would have been satisfied, although I would still have thought about gold.

โ€” Mykolas AleknaAlekna reflected on his performance in relation to his recent past.

Alekna noted favorable conditions with a good wind during the initial throws, which he felt allowed for strong performances. He mentioned that his family's presence provided motivation. Reflecting on ฤŒehas's winning throw, Alekna stated he was not surprised, knowing the Slovenian's capability, but felt he could have thrown further himself. He attributed some missed opportunities to a few errors and lost rhythm.

The conditions were good, a decent wind, and really a lot of people gathered. My family came to support, it's nice, it gives motivation.

โ€” Mykolas AleknaAlekna described the environment during the competition.

Despite the silver medal, Alekna plans to celebrate with his family over dinner. He had also led the qualification round with a throw of 67.74 meters. His previous European Championship gold was in 2022 in Munich.

I wasn't surprised, I knew he could throw far. I could have thrown further too. But it is what it is. A few mistakes, a few unsuccessful throws threw me off rhythm.

โ€” Mykolas AleknaAlekna commented on Kristjan ฤŒehas's performance and his own.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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