Australia’s premier discus thrower Matthew Denny has etched his name into the history books, breaking a decade-long national record before settling for an agonising fourth place at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
The groundbreaking feat unfolded on the world stage in Budapest as Matthew unleashed the gargantuan throw of 68.24m on his fourth-round attempt, propelling himself into medal contention and surpassing Benn Harradine’s record by four centimetres.
Producing a throw that would have earned him a medal at every other World Athletics Championships in history, Denny’s hunt for an elusive maiden global medal caused both heartbreak and elation for the 27-year-old, but it has fueled his determination to launch larger at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games next year.
“To throw 68.24m and miss out on a medal is insane. It is one of the biggest non-medalling throws ever and shows the depth of men’s discus at the moment,” Matthew said.
“I want to be super happy but I am not going to BS people thinking I am happy with fourth. I’m not. I’m here to win majors and make history.
“People can call me hard on myself but that is the game we are in. We want to win. That was the goal, that was the aim. I am super proud to get that Australian record. I have been searching for it for a long time, but in the same breath we still have more to do. We still have more to find to achieve the things we want to achieve.”
Matthew was defeated by the physical and metaphorical giants of the sport in reigning Olympic champion Daniel Stahl (SWE, 71.46m Championship Record), 2022 world champion Kristian Ceh (SLO, 70.02m) and world number three Mykolas Alenka (LTU, 68.85).
This article appeared in the Allora Advertiser, 23 August 2023.
