Matthew has cemented his status as one of the world’s premier athletes after being crowned champion at the Diamond League Final in Eugene, USA with an Australian record of 68.43 meters. This is the first time for Matthew to be crowned Diamond League Champion. He added 19cm to his Australian discus record to produce the throw of his life and seal his triumph.
How Matthew claimed the crown
Asserting his dominance from his first throw, the gentle giant of Australian athletics opened his Eugene campaign with a throw of 64.97m to take the lead, before being relegated to third after the completion of the second round. Matthew hovered in place contention before a clutch final-attempt saw him unleash 68.43m to claim the crown.
“I’m very happy with this today and it’s a great way to end the year. I thought I was in good nick but it was good to connect and put it together on the last meet of the year when a lot of other people might be fried or over this season,” Denny said.
Denny defeated global heavyweights, second-place getter and former world champion Kristjan Ceh (Slovenia, 67.64m) and reigning Olympic and world champion Daniel Stahl (Sweden, 67.36), giving him a boost of confidence having narrowly missed out on a podium at the World Athletics Championships in Hungary, last month.
“I was pretty keen to make amends for Budapest, so I’m happy with that. To get the win on one of the biggest comps of the year makes the fourth place a little less sour in my mouth to say the least,” Denny said.
“Nothing has really changed in regards to my focus for next year. I want to win (the Paris Olympic Games) and be on top, but this confirms my thoughts that I can mix it with the boys and take on those guys who are supposedly unbeatable. It’s either catch up or get left behind, and I don’t want to get left behind. I want to compete and I respect these guys, but it’s about being able to step up when it counts.”
Congratulations Matthew on your huge win – from everyone in Allora.
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This article appeared in the Allora Advertiser, 13 September 2023.
