Australian Olympic bronze medallist Matt Denny is closing in on a world record after posting the second biggest discus throw in history while competing in the United States.
Just days after crashing through the 70-metre barrier for the first time with a throw of 72.07m, Denny again smashed the Australian record with a monster throw of 74.25m at the Oklahoma Throws Series on Thursday night (Friday AEST).
Denny’s latest heroics left him just 10 centimetres shy of the world record held by Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna, who posted a throw of 74.35m in April 2024.
In a mouth-watering prospect, Denny and Alekna are set to go head-to-head on Sunday in an event that could result in a new world record.
Denny decided to skip the current Australian Athletics Championships in Perth in order to go for the world record this week, and his huge throws in recent days means he is now a genuine chance to set a new world benchmark.
His personal-best 74.25m effort was by no means a flash-in-the-pan moment, with Denny also posting throws of 71.03m, 71.14m, 72.93m, 73.46m and 73.56m on the night.
The 28-year-old’s previous best entering this week was 69.96m, and his recent throws over 70m bodes well for Australian athletics.
Denny has claimed gold at the past two Diamond League finals and won bronze at the Paris Olympics, where the gold went to Rojé Stona with a 70.00m throw.
Denny has also finished in the top six at the three most recent editions of the world championships.
With his career still on a steep upwards curve, he will be among Australia’s leading gold-medal hopes at September’s world titles in Tokyo.
It continued a stunning few weeks for Australia’s track and field stars, with young sprinters like Gout Gout and Leah O’Brien shining on Australian soil, and Nicola Olyslagers, Eleanor Patterson, Lachlan Kennedy and a host of others winning medals at the indoor world titles.
AAP
