EUGENE, Ore. – Coming into day three of the NCAA Outdoor Championships, just one man from California track & field had yet to compete: discus world record-holder Mykolas Alekna, who hoped to follow up second- and third-place finishes at his first two NCAA Championships with a title for the Golden Bears. All knew nothing would come easy, however, as his main opponent in the ring was the No. 2 discus thrower in the history of the NCAA: Oklahoma's Ralford Mullings, who had posted a best mark of 69.13m (226-9) in March at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays and, like Alekna, was a finalist at the 2024 Olympic Games.
 
Competing third in the initial order, Alekna took an early lead with a first-round throw of 66.44m (218-0), while Mullings' first throw came off his hand short and wobbly; the reverse happened in the second round, as the Cal graduate took an intentional foul while Mullings moved into second place with a throw of 65.92 (216-3). The Jamaican native then took the lead for good in the third round after another Alekna foul, the discus finally falling at 67.70m (222-1) to break a 33-year-old meet record.
 
The next three throws featured multiple personal bests in a battle for third place, prompting several cries of admiration from the crowd. USC's Racquil Broderick, who was one of just two men to qualify from the first flight, unleashed a throw of 63.31m (207-8) in round five, after which Virginia Tech's Uladzislau Puchko responded with a 63.94m (209-9) to surge ahead. Neither of them ultimately challenged for the top two spots, which came down, as billed, to Alekna and Mullings: Alekna's fourth throw sailed farther than any of his previous attempts but was ultimately ruled foul, while his fifth throw improved his mark to 66.77m (219-0).
 
Alekna's sixth throw crashed into the right side of the cage, ricocheting off the pole with a resounding clong. Mullings, his victory assured, then launched a personal-best rocket of 69.31m (227-4) for the final exclamation point.
 
In addition to becoming the first man in world history to surpass the 75-meter mark in the discus as well as a three-time top-three NCAA finisher, Alekna's outstanding career at Cal includes an Olympic silver medal, two World medals, and two European medals; his 2022 gold in the latter made him the youngest European champion in history at just 19 years old, while his silver at the 2022 World Championships enshrined him as the youngest world medalist in history. He appeared on The Bowerman Watch List 23 times – the most by any thrower in the history of the award and third-most among all men – and broke eight facility records and 10 meet records throughout his four years as a collegian to cement himself as one of the greatest throwers of all time.
 
2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships – Day Three Results
Men's Discus Final – 2. Mykolas Alekna 66.77m/219-0
 
 
UP NEXT
Olympic discus thrower Caisa-Marie Lindfors will close out Cal's outing at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, competing in Flight Two of the women's discus Saturday. The event is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. PT.
 
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