Communities to cheer on homegrown athletes as they represent their country at 2021 Olympic Games

The talented athletes already have the adoration of their hometowns and will soon have the whole country cheering them on as they head to Tokyo to chase the ultimate sporting dream.

Allora local Matthew Denny is ready for Tokyo (Photo: Casey Sims).

While Harriet Hudson and Matthew Denny may have grown up competing in sport across the Southern Downs, these homegrown athletes will now represent Australia at the Tokyo Olympic Games next month.

Twenty-three-year-old Warwick talent Hudson will make her Olympic debut when she dons the green and gold for the Australian rowing team.

Hudson will compete in the women's quad sculls on Friday, July 23.

Denny will make his second Olympic appearance after representing Australian in discus in the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The homegrown Allora talent walked away from rugby league to pursue athletics, leaving locals thinking their hopes of having a new footy hero were gone.

But when Denny became the town’s first Olympian, the town quickly became a fan of discus.

Two years after calling time on a rugby league career, Denny won his event at the World Youth Athletics Championships in 2013 and he said it was then the community gave him a collective thumbs up on the move.

Set to compete in his second Olympics next month, the discus athlete said he was proud to again have the town’s support.

“When I left (to move to Brisbane), they threw a huge going away party for me and the whole town was there,” Denny said.

Matthew Denny says when he heads home, he's treated like anyone else. (Supplied: Matt Denny).

Despite a busy life in Brisbane juggling training and competing around the world, Denny said heading back home was always grounding.

“I love going home and seeing my family and I also love seeing my old friends,” Denny said.

“I’m not Matthew Denny the Olympian – they’ve known me since I was a kid, so that’s how they treat me.”

With just over a month until competition kicks off in Tokyo, Denny said he was feeling ready, despite a rib injury late last year threatening his training.

“I’m definitely much calmer now that everything’s been confirmed (to compete),” Denny said.

Despite a grounded state of mind, the lead-up has been challenging, the 25-year-old athlete said.

COVID-19 saw the Games postponed in March 2020, but Denny said in the lead up there was still a sense of uncertainty around the event.

“I was in PB form two weeks before all the lockdowns started happening,” Denny said.

“ I was ready to go, I was super excited.”

Denny said although he was in great shape physically, his throws were falling short at training.

“It was demotivating, there was this terrible feeling of not knowing if we were going to compete,” he said.

“And then for them to say, ‘it’s off, where’re moving it to another year’ is pretty gut-wrenching.

“But there wasn’t really much that could be done about it.”

Denny heads off to Cairns for a training camp early next month before travelling to Japan for the Games.