Discus champ Dani Stevens in big season-opening throw

Former world discus champion Dani Stevens has thrown a distance that would have won the silver medal in Rio.

Australia’s Dani Stevens (nee Samuels) in action at the Rio Olympics. Picture: Phil Hillyard

In her first competition since the Olympics, former world discus champion Dani Stevens (nee Samuels) launched the disc a ­distance that would have won the silver medal in Rio.

Competing under her newly married name, Stevens turned over a new page with her biggest season opener and her second-biggest throw ever on Australian soil at the NSW championships in Sydney on Saturday night.

Her winning throw of 66.78m is almost 3m more than she threw for fourth place at the Olympics and little more than a metre shy of her personal best.

In another change since the Olympics, Stevens has moved back to her home town of Sydney from the Gold Coast and appears to be thriving on closer contact with her long-term coach Denis Knowles.

“I was hoping to throw around 65 or 66,’’ she said.

“My body is in good shape and I feel like things are working in training. Every throw was a world championship qualifier. When I threw 65m in the fifth, I shot it left so I knew a straight throw could go 66-plus. I’ve never opened the season with that big of a throw.”

Stevens also credited her occasional training partner British Olympian Jade Lally for keeping her honest in training and competition.

“Jade is a top quality competitor and came third at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and she is one of my main rivals going into the 2018 Commonwealth Games (on the Gold Coast),’’ Stevens said.

“Jade’s out here training so it is good to have some good quality training partners, good banter and someone to push you in competition. Last time Jade was here, I threw 66m.”

At the Queensland championships in Brisbane, former Olympic champion Sally Pearson made her competition return in the 100m hurdles, her first race in her main event since injury ruled her out of the Rio Olympics. Pearson won in 13.57sec into a headwind (0.9m/sec), but she was not content with that effort, which is more than a second outside her best.

“It’s been a trying week for my body to even set foot out on the track today — (the) time of 13.57 is not a reflection of what sort of shape I am in,’’ she said on Twitter.

Pearson has just returned home after a three-meet tour of indoor events in Europe, where she was regularly on the podium in the 60m hurdles and the intensity and travel has temporarily slowed her momentum.

She will expect much better as she approaches next month’s nat­ional titles in Sydney. Her nearest rival this season appears to be Perth’s Brianna Beahan, who came to Sydney over the weekend and took down national champion Michelle Jenneke, winning convincingly in 13.32sec, despite a 1.6m/sec headwind.

Meanwhile, Olympic javelin thrower Hamish Peacock made light work of the world championship qualifying standard, chucking the spear 83.02m in Tasmania, and teenage pole vaulter Nina Kennedy snared her Olympic qualifier (4.55m) at the West Australian championships.