Tokyo Olympics day 8 results: Rohan Browning, Matthew Denny star for Australia in track and field

The best performance by an Australian male in athletics at an Olympics wasn't enough for larrikin discus thrower Matt Denny to medal.

Olympic Team and Emily Benammar

2 min read

July 31, 2021 - 11:01PM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

“Less than the length of a beer can” was how Matt Denny processed his oh-so-close fourth in the men’s discus final, declaring he finally feels like one of the big boys after a stunning display at the Olympic Stadium.

The Aussie hurled a personal best of more than 80cm with his final attempt of the night, falling an agonisingly close 5cm to Austrian Lukas Weisshaidinger in third.

“Five centimetres. Less than a beer can. I definitely need a gin or two after this,” Denny said.

“Yeah, it hurts. I’m happy – best performance by an Australian male in athletics at an Olympics, but my goal is not to do that, it’s to win, to do my best and I knew I had more there so it just kills.”

The boy from Allora in country Queensland knew he’d thrown himself close to a medal as soon as the discus left his hand – the wait for the distance to show on the screen an eternity to he, his competitors and those lucky few inside the stadium.

“I hit it and I knew it was good. I knew it was better but yeah, it felt like a while that’s for sure,” Denny said.

“To know I was just off and to see that four … four sucks. Fourth sucks man.”

Pre-Games gold medal favourite Daniel Stahl of Sweden tossed 68.90 to claim gold, ahead of compatriot Simon Pettersson’s 67.39m.

Australia's Matthew Denny reacts while competing in the men's discus throw final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on July 31, 2021. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP)

Before the Games Denny said it was a battle for the minor medals, with Stahl a head and shoulders favourite to claim gold.

And though the big Swede did so, Denny’s performance gave the Aussie confidence his time may soon come.

“I’ll be really honest – it’s funny for me. I’m six (foot) five, right. So when I go to Europe … because I’m not competing against those guys all the time, Daniel is six-eight … all these boys are so much bigger than me,” Denny said.

“Even in 2019 going over there I can feel smaller than them. Sometimes, it’s a little bit of a check-up when I get there.

“But now, when I saw everyone and started competition yesterday I didn’t feel that anymore. I always felt like I belonged but now it’s like, ‘we’re on, you can do this’.