Mykolas Alekna Advances to European Final, 'Better Version of Myself' After Injury

Lithuanian discus thrower Mykolas Alekna has advanced to the European Athletics Championships final, achieving the best qualification result with a throw of 67.74 meters on his first attempt. This marks a significant achievement for the young athlete, who has overcome a serious injury earlier in the season.

"Good competition, everything went smoothly. That's always the plan with three attempts – to get into the final, use as little energy as possible, and prepare for the main competition," Alekna told "Delfi" after his performance. He expressed confidence in his preparation and his ability to perform under pressure.

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Good competition, everything went smoothly. That's always the plan with three attempts – to get into the final, use as little energy as possible, and prepare for the main competition.

Alekna's journey to the final has been particularly inspiring. He suffered a pectoral muscle injury in the spring, which threatened to end his season. However, he made an early return and has since become a season leader. "The most important thing is not to give up. When you overcome such difficulties, such injuries, setbacks – it all accumulates into experience and in the long run, it only benefits. I believe in that. I gained experience, I had different training, and I think I am a better version of myself than I was before the injury," he shared.

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The most important thing is not to give up. When you overcome such difficulties, such injuries, setbacks – it all accumulates into experience and in the long run, it only benefits. I believe in that. I gained experience, I had different training, and I think I am a better version of myself than I was before the injury.

This championship will be historic for Lithuania, as Mykolas Alekna, his brother Martynas Alekna, and Andrius Gudžius have all qualified for the discus final. This is the first time three Lithuanian discus throwers will compete in the final at a European Championship. The final is scheduled for Thursday at 10:45 PM local time.

While Mykolas Alekna dominated the qualification, his brother Martynas and Andrius Gudžius also secured their places in the final, finishing fifth and ninth respectively in their qualifying group. Alekna expressed hope that his compatriots would also perform well, stating, "I asked the coach, he said how far they threw. I hope Andrius will somehow pass. It would be nice to have all three in the final."

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I asked the coach, he said how far they threw. I hope Andrius will somehow pass. It would be nice to have all three in the final.