Titan Duel and the 70-Meter Challenge
This Saturday, spectators arriving at Vingis Park Stadium will have a unique opportunity to watch a duel between two world discus throw titans – world record holder Mykolas Alekna and world and two-time European champion Kristjan Čeh will once again try to determine whose discus will fly further. After the Diamond League final in Brussels, where the Slovenian celebrated victory, the head-to-head score this season is 3:2.
Four more titled discus throwers will also enter the sector in Vilnius – Olympic champion Roje Stona, the elder of the Alekna brothers Martynas, and representatives from the Netherlands. Officially, the “Domė” discus throw competition will be opened by throws from Olympic champions R. Ubartas and V. Alekna.
“I can hardly imagine how far I could throw the discus, but I think that throw will not be about the result; it will be a symbol of the official opening of the competition. Of course, it is always pleasant to remember those discus throwing movements. Now I am trying to get used to the discus so that on September 12 I do not take it in my hands for the first time after a long time,” said V. Alekna, taking the discus in his hands during his son Mykolas’s training.
It is V. Alekna who holds the Vingis Park Stadium record – almost 20 years ago he recorded a result of 70.01 m. The titled discus thrower hinted that this record will most likely be broken on Saturday.
Aleknas and Kanter’s Duels Drew Thousands
The brightest stars of the world discus throw return to Vilnius after a twenty-year break. In 2005–2006, thousands flocked to Vingis Park to watch V. Alekna’s battles with his main competitor Gerd Kanter, and this weekend fans will have a unique opportunity to watch the performance of a new generation of world discus throw stars.
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V. Alekna remembers as if it were today how in 2005 the idea was born to organize world-class discus throw competitions named after him in Vilnius. Although at that time the capital did not have a stadium where such competitions could be held, the two-time Olympic champion came up with a solution – the discus throwing sector was poured and installed in the most famous place in Vingis Park – the stage. The competition’s patron was Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas, and the total prize fund reached an unprecedented amount at that time – 27 thousand euros. According to police data, 10 thousand fans watched the historic competition.
“Lithuania has deep discus throwing traditions, and we wanted to have world-class competitions in Vilnius. We managed to accomplish everything – to gather the strongest discus throwers and accumulate a large cash prize for that time. A special discus throwing sector was poured for the competition. We organized the competition, there was a great atmosphere, many spectators, a great celebration. The Prime Minister was the patron of the competition, and without state financial support, it would have been very difficult to organize an event of this level,” V. Alekna recalls today.
In the first competition in Vilnius, as if according to a script, the Lithuanian discus thrower won only on the fifth attempt, throwing the discus 67.81 m and surpassing G. Kanter (67.47 m). A year later, in the second competition, V. Alekna again defeated his constant rival. That time the victory was more than convincing – the Lithuanian threw the discus 69.73 m, the Estonian – 65.50 m.
The Vilnius Mayor’s Cup competition on September 12 at Vingis Park Stadium (M. K. Čiurlionis St. 112) will start at 4 p.m. Admission is free.
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