Australian Matt Denny becomes the fifth longest discus thrower in history with record-breaking effort

No Australian had ever broken the magical 70m barrier in discus throwing – until Olympic star Matt Denny shattered the mark with one of the longest throws in history.

Olympic discus bronze medallist Matt Denny has broken the magical 70m barrier, becoming the fifth longest thrower in history.

The big Queenslander wrote his name into the record books at Throw Town in Ramona, Oklahoma, with a heave of 72.07m.

In eight degree weather with mild winds, Denny’s throw obliterated his previous national record of 69.96m set in the Diamond League Final last year.

The 28-year-old produced a stunning series with all six throws over 69m including two over the 70m mark.

Olympic Bronze Medalist Matty Denny sends that discus back to Queensland over in Oklahoma 🦍

72.07m - #5 in History 🔥

🎥 @Kirstylawdiscuspic.twitter.com/gEQheJQmzi

— Mitch Dyer (@mitchdyerlive) April 6, 2025

He immediately dedicated the achievement to his father, John, who passed away last year following the Olympic Games:

“This one was for Dad. He was a country guy who just did it anyway and got the job done no matter what the circumstances were. It keeps me accountable to just not complain and just get the job done,” Denny said.

“I’m very, very proud of myself and my team and what we’ve been able to achieve today.

“We’re finally over the 70-metre mark and we did it in pretty solid fashion, so it’s really satisfying, but also, the job isn’t done yet.

Matthew Denny has hit a mark no Australia has ever reached. Picture: Getty

“We came here for one reason and that was for the world record. I think this was a great shakeout off the plane and nice to get a bit of a feel for the place before competing at the World Invitational next week, but at the end of the day I’m still very proud to finally get over that mark and do that before the big competition.

“With this PB, it’s nice to finally put myself where I think my training has been, and I’ve just never been really fortunate to get good conditions without tailwinds when I’ve been in good shape.

“Looking at where I’ve come from and for a kid that just started with a circle in a country town, to then come to another country town across the other side of the world and go back to roots and break milestones. It shows that you don’t need all the fancy stuff, you just need a bit of grit and a bit of determination.”

Denny celebrates his bronze medal at in the discus at the Paris Olympics. Picture: Getty

Denny’s breakthrough performance sets up a mouth-watering clash with world record holder Mykolas Alekna at the World Invitational event in Oklahoma next week.

Lithuania’s Alekna set the world mark of 74.35m at the same venue in April last year.

Denny finally got the medal he so deserved at the Paris Olympics last year after a series of close misses.

He finished fourth at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics – missing bronze by just 5cm – and at the 2023 world championships in Budapest he was again fourth.

Jamaica’s Roje Stona caused a huge upset in Paris to throw 70m, almost two metres further than ever before, to win the gold medal and push Alekna to silver. Denny’s best of 69.31m – which was 4cm shy of his then Australian record – claimed the bronze.

Originally published as Australian Matt Denny becomes the fifth longest discus thrower in history with record-breaking effort