With a throw of 74.35 meters, Lithuanian athletics prodigy Mykolas Alekna broke the world record for the discus throw - a discipline that until then held the oldest male mark in the world.

The 21-year-old Lithuanian beat the previous world record by 27 centimeters: 74.08 meters.

The previous record had been held by Germany's Jürgen Schult for almost 38 years, since June 6, 1986.

The Lithuanian's mark, obtained in the throwing competition in Ramona, Oklahoma, in the United States, was initially measured at 74.41 meters, but was later revised, according to World Athletics.

Alekna, silver medalist at the World Championships Oregon 2022 and bronze medalist Budapest 2023, had a personal best of 71.39 meters.

With this record, the Lithuanian "pushed" his father, Virgilijus Alekna, two-time Olympic champion in Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, to third place in the all-time ranking in the discipline, with 73.88 meters achieved on August 3, 2000, in Kaunas (Lithuania).

Alekna's record throw followed that of Cuba's Yaimé Perez, who threw the discus 73.09 meters, achieving the highest women's throw since 1989 - when Germany's Ilke Wyludda reached 74.56.

The oldest record in world athletics is still the women's 800 meters, held by the still unbeatable Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova, who ran both laps of the track in 01.53.28 minutes on July 26, 1983.