Virgilijus Alekna of Lithuania celebrates winning the discus throw (© Getty Images)
After a below par season last year, Olympic Discus champion Virgilijus Alekna of Lithuania who is also the 2001 World silver medallist, this evening produced an emphatic throwing statement that he is very much still the main man of the event.
“After the high standard seasons of 2000 and 2001, I took last year as my rest year (66.90m season’s best), so I was never concerned with my form, as I planned to lower the pressure, and have some rest,” confirmed Alekna who won tonight’s competition with his opening throw of 69.69 metres.
Bearing the brunt of a refreshed Olympic champion was Hungary’s Robert Fakekas, the European champion and World Cup winner last year. While he immediately responded to Alekna’s opener with 69.01m in round two, you kind of sensed that the competition had been silenced with its first breath, despite the Hungarian being the only thrower over 70 metres this summer (70.78m).
Benefiting from a spell of warm weather training in South Africa during March and April where he took three straight wins in the Engen series, Alekna’s season of twelve competitions prior to these championships built steadily and with purpose. A well timed season’s best of 68.95m just prior to Paris, when finishing second behind Fazekas in Zurich, marked his gold medal intent.
“Paris was the most important meet of the year for me and after my gold in Sydney I was hungry for this medal,” said Alekna, confirming ominously that “I am very much looking forward to Athens next year.”
Alekna, 31, who remains employed as one of the body guards of Lithuania’s Prime Minister, which was the story that grabbed so much attention in Sydney after his Olympic triumph, has a family of two sons by his marriage with former Long and Triple jumper Kristina Sablovskyte (6.14m; 12.90m).
Martynas is three years-old and Mykolas is on the verge of his first birthday, and what a very special present his father has in store for him.
“To my first son I gave my Olympic gold medal on his birthday, and I will now make my World gold medal a present to my youngest son on his birthday too.”
Asked if he would be celebrating his Paris victory with any special party or event, he confirmed that “I now will compete at the World Athletics Final in Monaco, and so I don’t have time for celebrations yet, perhaps later.”
Would he be enlarging his family any further in the future?
This was a cheeky question and which not surprisingly gained no answer. However, with Alekna’s predilection for giving his children a gold medal each, his opponents must be praying that when his post Paris celebrations do occur, that they do not lead to any further children at least before the Athens Olympics is over.
They just can’t afford the cost of another birthday present similar to Alekna's gift today.
IAAF
