By Dominique Tassell
Matt Denny, the 25-year-old Allora local known for representing Australia in the Rio Olympics, will be representing the nation again in Tokyo next month. The discus thrower, ranked 8th in the world, threw a personal best of 66.15m at trials on the Gold Coast.
Matt says his recent results have been relieving, and it’s been an emotional time after a stressful six months.
Matt says it’s been frustrating because he and his team were in peak form in November, and then he suffered injuries that set him back a few months. Matt says it was good to confirm how they were progressing as a team, and he was happy with how his body adapted after his injuries, and with how his team adjusted throughout the process. He says it was “good to get it all confirmed”, and to perform so well at trials was the “icing on the cake”.
“The crazy thing about the Olympics is it plays with your head,” Matt says.
While he knew he had prepared and was performing his best, prior to trials conditions like high winds kept Matt from performing the way he knew he could.
“To know you can do it but not be able to perform because of conditions is frustrating,” Matt says.
Matt says it was good to see results when in the right conditions, and he knows he has plenty more in the tank for later. He says it’s really exciting to think about how he might perform in Tokyo.
Matt will head to Cairns in the first week of July for camp before jetting off to Tokyo.
“Camp will be really fun; one of the coolest things about Olympics is when you do these kinds of camps and go together as a team. It’s fun to be around people who are so like minded and wanting to achieve the Olympics. It’s very fun to be around.”
Matt says everyone back home is “stoked” for him, and extremely happy with his results.
“Even if I didn’t throw I was already in, just to lock it in was nice. Everyone’s super happy,” Matt says.
Matt says he’s had a lot of support, from home in Allora and in Brisbane where his friends have organised to have a viewing party to support him.
He hopes to inspire younger kids, and wants them to know they can achieve big things when they’re from a small town.
Matt says he’s been asked if this is it, but confirms he’s not slowing down anytime soon. He wants to make five Olympics, so there’s plenty more to come from him yet.
