DON’T BLAME KRISTJAN ČEH for not appearing overly excited after his big third-round throw at the Prefontaine Classic. Yes, the 229-5 (69.94) effort was far enough to win most comps, but with a field that included WR holder Mykolas Alekna, ’24 Olympic champ Rojé Stona, and triple world champ Daniel Ståhl, the Pre was not most comps. Also, Čeh had seen this movie before. Two weeks earlier, at the Heino Lipp Memorial in Estonia, ’22 world champ Čeh posted a similar mark — 227-5 (69.35) — to take a late lead, only to have Alekna pop off a 231-6 (70.60) toss to steal the win.
And darned if it wasn’t déjà vu all over again on an exquisite Saturday afternoon in Eugene as the lithe Lithuanian came back on his Slovenian rival with a 233-1 (71.06) bomb in round 5. The difference this time was that Alekna’s new mustache was a little fuller and he was dressed in Hayward-appropriate University of Oregon kit that had Duck fans ruminating on what might have been and might yet be.
That Alekna has competed at all this season is something of a sports miracle.
Oregon throws coach Brian Blutreich says he was a little nervous about taking on arguably the best young discus thrower in history (“I didn’t want to screw him up!”) after Alekna transferred from Cal last fall, but following a 30-year career during which he’d mentored 31 NCAA champions, he felt inspired by the challenge of making Mykolas “a little bit better.”
The two quickly developed a rapport, and with the full support of Alekna’s Lithuanian coach, Mantas Jusis, began experimenting with a couple of small but potentially significant technical adjustments.
Their work appeared to be paying off when Alekna blasted a 233-11 (71.30) training throw in February from the ring inside Hayward Field. That toss brought Blutreich to his feet and got him thinking that by the time summer rolled around, Alekna might be ready to threaten his 247-11 (75.56) Ramona-fied World Record — in windless conditions. To put that in perspective, Ståhl’s 234-5 (71.46) winner at the ’23 Worlds is considered by many to be the greatest non-wind-aided throw ever. That’s how good Alekna was looking in the spring.
Then disaster struck.
Blutreich, Jusis, and Alekna’s coach at Cal, Mo Saatara, were all of a like mind when it came to not overdoing it in the weightroom.
Blutreich says that Alekna was generally good about taking their advice, until one session in mid-March when “he became a kid for a moment” and tried to achieve a longtime dream of benching 200 kilos (c440ft).
The result was a complete tear in his left pectoral tendon that, according to Jusis, generally takes 5–6 months to fully rehabilitate.
Fortunately, Alekna had several factors in his favor. First, though his season — and possibly his career — as a Duck was over before he’d competed in a single meet, the folks at Oregon did him a solid by enlisting Dr. James Voos, the head physician of the Cleveland Browns and an expert in the art of repairing chests and shoulders, to perform the needed surgery.
Also, Jusis is not a typical throws coach. The training center he operates in Vilnius actually specializes in injury rehabilitation. Now, for the first time, he would put that expertise to use with Alekna, who returned to Lithuania in April.
For several weeks, with Alekna’s left arm in a brace, they worked to strengthen the muscles surrounding the injured tendon. Soon, they added leg strengthening exercises, and rudimentary technique work.
A training camp in Portugal with a group that included Mykolas’ mother, brother and sister — and featured regular poker games and relaxo time on the beach — relieved some of the tedium, and once he began throwing the actual disc he took to it like… well… a Duck to water.
“The distance,” Alekna says, “started going up and up,” and after that it was a matter of getting comfortable with the idea of unleashing the beast.
”For a while,” he says, “I was really protective. But I got more confidence day by day” and by mid-June he was ready for a road test.
That came at the Heino Lipp.
The fact that Alekna was back to competing just 3 months after surgery was borderline astounding. But to then throw 231-6?
Jusis credits Alekna’s dedication in following the rehabilitation plan and the fact that he is an “exceptional athlete.”
Blutreich agrees, affectionately referring to Mykolas as a “freak.”
“The surgeon did a great job,” he says, “but some people have been touched by God.”
After his sensational outing at Pre, Alekna appears to be on a collision course with Čeh at this summer’s European Championships.
As to his future in Oregon, the athletic department has done its due diligence, applying for an injury exemption that would allow him to compete in ’27.
Alekna has said that he enjoyed his experience in Eugene and will make a decision about returning once the NCAA issues a ruling.
Blutreich, obviously, hopes they can work it out. “It’s frustrating, because I felt like we were getting close to doing something special. We’ll see. I’d still like to be part of his journey.”
As would throws fans everywhere.
