European Athletics champion and World silver medallist Mykolas Alekna became the youngest discus thrower in history to throw beyond 70 metres, with a world-leading 71.00m in Berkeley, California, on Saturday (29).
The 20-year-old Lithuanian smashed his previous best of 69.81m, set last June, in just his third competition of 2023. He won The 128th Big Meet, a California vs Stanford competition, by almost 11 metres, moving up to 18th on the world all-time list and establishing a European U23 record in the process.
Tilga sets meeting record at Multistars
Estonia's Karel Tilga won the decathlon at the Multistars competition on Sunday (30), setting a meeting record of 8482 at the World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold meeting in Desenzano del Garda.
Tilga beat strong competition in convincing fashion, finishing more than 400 points ahead of Sweden's Fredrik Samuelsson, who took second with 8070 - his best score since 2018.
The 2017 European Athletics U20 bronze medallist and 2021 NCAA outdoor and indoor champion set an impressive five personal bests on his way to breaking Andrei Krauchanka's meeting record of 8390 - in the shot put (16.19m), 400m (48.71), 110m hurdles (14.85), pole vault (4.75m) and 1500m (4:21.91).
In the women’s competition, Britain’s Commonwealth bronze medallist Jade O’Dowda finished second with a score of 6178.
Fortunato lays down the gauntlet ahead of Poděbrady 2023
At Sunday’s (30) Gran Premio Internacional Finetwork Madrid Marcha – a World Athletics Race Walking Tour Gold event – Italy’s Francesco Fortunato won a competitive 10km race in a personal best of 38:56.
Fortunato kicked with around 2km to go, breaking away from the pack and setting a strong marker ahead of the Poděbrady 2023 European Race Walking Team Championships which takes place later this month.
“It is my first great triumph at international level. Honestly, I didn't expect it. Yes, I expected to finish on the podium but not win. At 8km, I could tell that I had the confidence and energy to be able to go faster,” Fortunato told the organisers.
“It was a very difficult race, at a very high level, and this victory gives me more confidence for the European Race Walking Team Championships."
Nick Howard for European Athletics