“It squeezed the heart when Virgilijus Alekna and Romas Ubartas stepped into the sector for the opening throws of the competition. Two Lithuanian athletics legends. And when the Lithuanian anthem sounded in the stadium, tears welled up in my eyes. I believe that for Mykolas and Martynas, this evening will remain one of those unforgettable moments throughout their careers,” Mantas Jusis said after the competition.
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For “Jusis Training” president M. Jusis, this summer was no less intense than for the athletes preparing for the most important season starts – he married his beloved Dovilė, and together with Mykolas and Martynas Aleknas prepared for the European Athletics Championships. Also, sparing no hours, for the second year in a row he organized the Vilnius Mayor’s Cup competition – inviting world discus throw stars to come to Vilnius, and sponsors and partners to contribute to this exceptional event. The biggest helpers were the Aleknas family, the “Jusis Training” and M.A.M.A. teams. The result – Vilnius was shaken by the biggest athletics event in 20 years.
Even on the eve of the competition, world record holder Mykolas Alekna invited all spectators to come to Vingis Park without a car. The premonition was confirmed – athletics fans flocked to the stadium in crowds, and there were enough seats only for the earliest arrivals. Despite this, a record crowd lined up in several rows around the entire stadium. While waiting for the “Domė” discus throw competition, spectators could try athletics events themselves. Children participated in the “CUP” 60 m sprint competition together with the country’s strongest sprinter, Adas Dambrauskas, and later families symbolically completed the “Emsi” 400 m run.
The most emotional moments of the competition were the symbolic opening throws by legendary discus throwers – two-time Olympic and two-time world and European champion Virgilijus Alekna and the first Olympic champion of independent Lithuania, Romas Ubartas – and the Lithuanian Republic anthem that followed the speech by Vilnius city mayor Valdas Benkunskas, uniting everyone gathered in the stadium in a spirit of unity.
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Later, the Vingis Park stadium was shaken by record throws from world and two-time European champion Kristjan Čeh. The Slovenian twice improved the stadium record held by Virgilijus Alekna since 2007. The new record is 72.56 m. Mykolas Alekna, who took second place in the competition, threw the discus 69.30 m, and the symbolic duel between the world’s season leaders ended 3:3.
The “Domė” discus throw competition will remain not only in the memory of more than 5,000 spectators who watched it live – according to preliminary data, nearly 208,000 people watched the live broadcast on TV3, over a million viewers saw the competition announcements, and the competition content on social networks reached nearly 680,000 more people.
“That evening, not only the stadium record but also the spectator record was broken. Together we created something that cannot be measured by numbers. Thanks to all the athletes, judges, journalists, volunteers, the organizational and M.A.M.A. teams, our partners, without whom the event would not have happened. It’s great to see that all efforts were noticed and appreciated, and the athletes left Vilnius not only with results but also with good emotions and memories,” M. Jusis thanked.
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The Vilnius Mayor’s Cup competition will also take place in the capital next year.
