Olympics 2021: Aussie discus thrower Matthew Denny ready to make his mark in Tokyo

It was 13 years ago but discus thrower Matthew Denny vividly remembers the failure. ‘I threw two into the net and botched the other one.’ It was a brutal lesson but one which ultimately steeled him.

Olympic discus thrower Matthew Denny can still remember the last time he was in Cairns – it was 13 years ago and he lost – something he never wanted to do again.

Denny, 25, will land in Cairns on Monday, along with the rest of the Australian Olympic athletics team for their final training camp before the Tokyo Games.

Last time the soon to be dual Olympian was in Cairns he was in Year 7 – competing for Darling Downs at the primary school state sports competition.

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Matthew Denny is looking to make his mark in Tokyo.

It was a big trip for a kid from the Queensland country town of Allora.

“I still have vivid memories of that competition, I walked off the track and saw mum, I was just upset,” Denny said.

“I’d thrown two into the net and botched the other one.

“I remember coming home and not liking losing too much and that was what cascaded into me getting a coach. I hated losing and I just wanted to be good at it.”

Now, 13, years later, Denny is a World Youth and University Games champion, a Commonwealth Games silver medal winner and soon to be two-time Olympian.

Denny said it was “crazy” what he had managed to achieve in one Olympic cycle, including moving to Brisbane, getting engaged and changing coaches.

His success and experience at Worlds and the Commonwealth Games though meant the lead up to Tokyo was very different to Rio.

“For Rio we had to peak and chase and find good conditions just to be able to qualify, but it was nice to be able to prepare for an Olympics wholeheartedly and not have to worry about the process of getting there,” Denny said.

Matthew Denny hopes to leave his Tokyo rivals in a spin

He qualified for Tokyo in style, throwing 66.15m, a personal best by 70cm and 4.9m further than his best throw at the Rio Games.

Denny said he had not set any specific goals for Tokyo.

“I know what I’m potentially capable of and where that could sit me but you can never count on anything at an Olympics,” he said.

“My focus is just on performing at the best of my ability when it counts.”

The men’s discus is one of the first events of the Olympic athletics program. The qualifying round is on July 30 between 9am and 12.30pm and the final is scheduled for July 31.

Originally published as Olympics 2021: Aussie discus thrower Matthew Denny ready to make his mark in Tokyo