Paris Olympics 2024: Matt Denny wins seventh national title, breaks Australian record
From Covid to the Australian record, Matt Denny who has shown why he will be a force to be reckoned with at the Olympics. Meanwhile, a rising star shocked an experienced field to claim victory on the track.
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A rising star of the track stole the show as a rusted-on veteran of Australia’s athletics team set a new national record at the Olympic trials.
Scroll down to read about how 22-year-old Adam Spencer took down some huge names, including Ollie Hoare, but first, find out how Matt Denny battled from the canvas to win a seventh national championship.
Denny smashes Australian record
COVID last week, Australian record this week.
Welcome to the rollercoaster world of discus thrower Matt Denny who has again shown why he will be a force to be reckoned with at the Paris Olympics.
The big Queenslander, who finished fourth in Tokyo three years ago, defied his less than ideal preparation to produce a career best throw of 69.35m to win his seventh national title.
Denny revealed afterwards he wasn’t sure last week if he would make it to the Olympic trials.
“I wasn’t sure what was going to happen because I got COVID last week and we had just come off testing,” he said.
“I got it early enough last week and got through it. I reckon I got over it by Saturday and got it on the Monday.
“There was no way I was going to miss nationals. If I threw badly because of it then whatever, I still want to come here and compete.
“Despite that I knew I was in decent form. When I trained on Wednesday and did the qualifier I knew I could do something decent.
“Seventy (metres) was on my mind today, just off that, but to get a PB and a national record, you look at past years, most of my best nationals have been 65 at the maximum and last year was 63.
“So I think it’s only up from here building toward the Olympics.”
DENNY GOES BANG ðŸ¥ðŸ’¥
— Athletics Australia (@AthsAust) April 13, 2024
Reigning Diamond League champion Matt Denny treats fans to a new Australian record of 69.35m in the Men's Discus at the 2024 Chemist Warehouse Australian Athletics Championships!
Statement made 👀✅#ItsShowtime#ThisIsAthleticspic.twitter.com/EpMq6ngf1G
The 27-year-old, whose previous personal best was 68.24m which he set in finishing fourth at last year’s world championships in Budapest, is bullish about his chances in Paris.
“I’ve said my focus was to win the Olympics and I think a lot of people haven’t taken that too seriously,” Denny said. “Which is fair enough considering I’m fourth in the order right now, fourth in the rankings and I haven’t broken that 70 metre mark.
“Today we didn’t have huge winds or anything, that’s a replicatable (sic) throw in an Olympics and I think that changes my argument on being competitive and looking for that win in Paris.
“Everyone knows I’m no bullsh*t when it comes to majors, I am there to compete and I’m there, as I said last year in Budapest, I’m not here to participate, I’m here to win medals and try and win championships.
“The 70m is a big mark and we are in an era of discus that’s the most competitive ever and to be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if the world record gets broken this weekend with (Mykolas) Alekna throwing in the US with some big windy meets and he is showing some good form already this year.”
Last week the 22-year-old Alekna, from Lithuania, threw 71.39m at a meet in California. The world record sits at 74.08m by East German Jurgen Schult in 1986.
Denny will kick off his international preparation in Doha on May 7 before a series of competitions throughout Europe.
But before that he will be indulging in another passion, playing golf in the pro-am of next week’s LIV Golf tournament in Adelaide.
Denny, who plays off a handicap of nine, is good friends with British Open winner Cameron Smith - they use the same sports psychologist - and is hoping to be paired with his mate.
“The focus is to use it as a bit of a mental challenge,” Denny said. “I played that Blitz golf thing last year, it’s a new environment, external pressure, your hands (are shaking), you have no feel for the club.
“That is usually what happens at the Olympics so the more you get used to that in different environments is really good. It will be nice for a challenge and to learn from those boys how to work under pressure in something like golf.”
SPENCER SHOCKS BIG NAMES
Adam Spencer surprised many by making the world championships semi-final last year but there will be no more sleeping on the rising 1500m star after he took down some big names to win his first national title on Saturday.
In the most hyped race of the Olympic trials, the 22-year-old US-based Victorian made a compelling case for a spot in the Olympic team with a stunning victory in 3min 37.68sec.
While he will have to see what the selectors do on Sunday night with the first wave of nominations for Paris, Jessica Hull won’t have such issues after she dominated the women’s 1500m, storming clear over the final lap to win in 4min 01.39sec.
There were a couple of upsets in the 100m finals with Australia’s fastest man Rohan Browning relegated to fourth behind teenager Sebastian Sultana (10.27sec) while Naa Anang produced her best race for several years to take the women’s title (11.34sec).
Spencer, who runs for the University of Wisconsin in the US college system, was a late call-up to the national team for last year’s world championships in Budapest after an injury to Ollie Hoare.
He ran brilliantly in the heat to make the semi-finals and on Saturday in Adelaide, he did the same thing to edge out Hoare (3:37.83sec) with Western Australian Jesse Hunt (3:37.88sec).
Tokyo Olympic finalist Stewart McSweyn faded over the final 100m to finish fourth (3:38.66sec) while 17-year-old Cameron Myers couldn’t replicate his early season form, coming in fifth (3:38.74sec).
“I didn’t expect to win, I thought I was going to fall over the last 20 metres, my legs were hitting lactic and I saw the shadows of everyone coming on but managed to get over the line so I’m pretty happy,” Spencer said.
“If you told me 12 months ago that I was going to have this sort of year I wouldn’t have believed you, it’s been unreal. But yeah, I just love this sport and good things happen when you are really passionate about something.”
While Spencer said he would love to have his place in the Olympic team confirmed on Sunday, he understood why Athletics Australia selectors might wait until July given the depth in the event.
“It’s all a bit up in the air. Honestly, the selfish part of me would love to be picked but I don’t think it’s in Athletics Australia’s best interest to pick the team in April when the Olympics are in August or July.
“It’s such a long way out and so much can happen between now and then. So of course, I would love to be picked now, it would be great but all the other countries pick their team a couple of weeks before and I think the guys who are running well then are the ones who should really be picked.”
Hull will be going to her second Olympics after dominating a quality field with Melbourne’s Georgia Griffith second (4:03.68sec) and national record holder Linden Hall (4:05.03sec) third.
“I’ve been really working on that final 500m in the race and I feel like I’m going to be up there this year,” Hull said. “I’m just so determined, I’ve got a bit of an extra hunger in me for another Olympics.”
Browning revealed after Friday’s heats that he’d been struggling with a knee niggle and the Tokyo Olympic semi-finalist was clearly not at his best in the final but that takes nothing away from the performance from 18-year-old Sultana.
Given he doesn’t have an A-standard qualifying time for Paris, Sultana will attempt to get that in the coming months with a spot in the men’s 4x100m relay team - which still needs to qualify - the most likely scenario.
“I know I’m a reliable runner and I want a spot on the team,” he said. “I’ll definitely keep my eyes on that and just keep running fast.”
Previously winning the national title and having an Olympic qualifying time was enough to get automatic qualification for the Australian team but that’s not the case this year with selectors discretion a key factor in who gets named in the first wave on Sunday night.
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