Home

Denny fourth in Olympic discus final

Phil Blanche and John SalvadoAAP
Matthew Denny has finished fourth in the men's discus final at the Tokyo Olympics.
Camera IconMatthew Denny has finished fourth in the men's discus final at the Tokyo Olympics. Credit: AP

Big Australian Matthew Denny has smashed his personal best, only to come up an agonising 5cm short of a medal in the men's discus at the Tokyo Olympics.

The 25-year-old Queenslander produced a remarkably consistent series of throws in Saturday night's final but reckoned it really hurt to just miss out on the bronze.

His first five efforts were all between 65.00m and 66.06m but he was still able to save his best for last, throwing a lifetime best 67.02m in the final round to move up to fourth spot.

His previous biggest throw was 66.15m set last month in Queensland.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

"I came in good form and the crazy thing for me was that I knew I had big throws there," Denny said.

"I've never thrown that far but I didn't fully connect with the 67.

The Game AFL 2024

"When I hit it, I knew it was good. I knew it was better.

"It felt like a while to find out. To know that I was just off, I definitely need a gin or two!

"So to be so close to making so much history really hurts."

It was far and away the best ever performance by an Australian male discus thrower at Olympic level and improved on his sixth-placed effort at the 2019 world championships in Doha.

"It was fun, to me it was like a clinic," Denny said.

"I kept hitting, I didn't miss. I didn't foul and kept delivering when it counted.

"It was confirmation to me that I can perform when it counts.

"It is frustrating because I didn't find the one I needed. But I'll go home now and know there's still more there."

Swedish powerhouse Daniel Stahl justified his pre-event favouritsm to claim the Olympic gold medal with 68.90m.

The minor medals went to fellow Swede Simon Pettersson (67.39m) and Austrian Lukas Weisshaidinger (67.07m).

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails