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Jamaica’s Roje Stona launched an Olympic record-breaking throw to win the discus title at the Paris 2024 Games on Wednesday (7).
In a thrilling contest, world record-holder Mykolas Alekna improved the Olympic record – set by his father Virgilijus in 2004 – to 69.97m in the second round.
But just two rounds later, Stona achieved the throw of his life, hitting the 70-metre mark to take the lead, and the Olympic record.
He went over to the stands to celebrate with his coach, world shot put record-holder Ryan Crouser, who had claimed his third consecutive Olympic title four days earlier in the first part of what proved to be a unique coach-athlete double in Paris.
Neither Stona nor Alekna could improve with their remaining two attempts and so respectively secured the gold and silver, separated by just three centimetres.
In an Olympic contest of record depth, Australia’s Matthew Denny was the third thrower to surpass 69 metres, getting bronze with 69.31m.
The winning mark added 95cm to the PB Stona set in Ramona in May. On that day he finished second to Alekna, who threw 74.35m to break the longest standing men’s world record, improving on the 74.08m set by Jurgen Schult in 1986.
With his performance in Paris, Stona becomes Jamaica’s first ever gold medallist in a throws event at the Olympic Games and his nation’s first champion of Paris 2024.
SOURCE: WORLD ATHLETICS
