Discus Throw, Men

The favorites in this event were: Sweden’s Daniel Ståhl, the defending gold medalist; Slovenian Kristjan Čeh, the 2022 World Champion and 2024 European Champion; and Mykolas Alekna (LTU), who had broken the long-standing (since 1986) world record in April 2024. Alekna’s father, Virgilijus, was the gold medalist in the event in 2000 and 2004, and Mykolas was hoping to make them the first father-son pair to win athletics gold in the same individual event.

All three favorites made the final, as Alekna took the lead in round one with 68.55 metres, improving that to 69.97 in round two, which would be his best mark and good for silver. Ståhl never got going, recording a best mark of 66.95 in round two, and he would finish seventh. Čeh also struggled, his best mark coming in round two, 68.41 metres, that would eventually miss the podium in fourth. Australian Matthew Denny, the 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2023 Diamond League Champion, briefly took the lead in round two with 69.31, before Alekna moved ahead, which would hold up for Denny for a bronze medal.

Jamaica’s little-known Rojé Stona barely made the final rounds, standing seventh after round three with 66.16 metres. In round four, he uncorked a huge PR of 70.00 metres to take the lead. Despite fouls in rounds five and six, that throw would bring him a very surprising gold medal, the first ever medal for Jamaica in the event, and the second Olympic medal overall, after Rajindra Campbell’s bronze in the shot put event three days before.

Stona attended college in the United States, at the University of Arkansas, where he trained with, and was coached by, three-time Olympic shot champion Ryan Crouser. In a very deep Olympic competition, best-ever marks-for-place were recorded for 3rd and 6th through 9th place. Virgilijus Alekna’s Olympic record of 69.89 in 2004 was beaten twice, first by his son Mykolas, then by Rojé Stona.