Matthew Denny

BIOGRAPHY

The throwing career of Allora’s Matt Denny has evolved to extraordinary levels through three Olympic cycles after his debut in Rio in 2016. Originally combining hammer throwing and discus, after winning silver in the hammer at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, he narrowed his focus to the discus. After two fourth and two sixth places at the next four global meets, finally at the Paris Olympic he was on the podium with bronze. In April 2025 he headed to the wind-friendly Throws Town in America and after missing the world record by 10cm, four days later he surpassed the world record, but alas earlier in the competition Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna has raised the world record pass what Matt would throw. Over the last three years Matt has raised the Australian record on eight occasions in seven competitions a total of 6.58m.

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Growing up in the small town of Allora (population 1000), located 60km outside Toowoomba and 150km south-west of Brisbane, Matty Denny had lots of space to throw things. When he was in grade 1 at primary school, he threw bean bags as shot puts and vortexes as javelins. But his main focus as a kid until grade 8-9 was rugby league.

But watching elder brother Jonathan end his career at just 22 due to injuries (five shoulder reconstructions), while he was moving through the grades at the Broncos, Raiders and Sea Eagles, Matty decided athletics might be safer. He had also broken his collarbone at age 13.

When he started to develop in athletics in his teens, they built a home-made discus circle on his family’s rural property. When back home in Allora, he still trains in the circle.

Through his teens he developed into one of the finest junior throwers in Australian history. He dominated the record books and won numerous national title. He was also impressive internationally, winning the World Youth (U18) Championships discus title in 2013, followed by fourth the year after at the 2014 World Junior (U20) Championships. He also won a silver medal at the Universiade in 2015.

In April 2016, he won the national discus title with a throw of 60.47m and the hammer title with 68.44m. He became just the second athlete in the near 100 years history of the event to win this double and the first since Keith Pardon in 1953 – 63 years earlier.

Determined to qualify for the 2016 Olympics he travelled twice to the US, eventually qualifying with a mark of 65.37m, moving him to fifth on the Australian all-time list. In Rio, he threw 61.16m in the qualifying round.

At the Commonwealth trials in February 2018, with just 14 hours separating the hammer and discus events, he required just one valid hammer throw to claim the title and automatic Commonwealth Games selection and also won the discus. With selection in both events, he became the second Australia athlete, and first in 68 years, to compete in both events at the Commonwealth Games, following Keith Pardon who competed in the same pair at the 1938 and 1950 Empire Games.

At the Commonwealth Games he won silver in the hammer throw with a PB 74.88m and was fourth in the discus. In 2019 he decided to focus on the discus and came close to his PB with three throws over 65m (and eight over 64m). In July 2019 he won the World University Games discus title and continued an outstanding year of consistent throwing placed an extraordinary sixth at the 2019 world championships in Doha. Only once previously at a global meet (Olympics and world championships) had an Aussie placed that high.

In February 2020 in Wellington New Zealand, he threw a personal best of 65.47m and was in a career purple patch before COVID closed the season.

Set for a perfect lead-in to the Tokyo Olympics during the summer of 2020/21, there was a setback in December, when he hurt two ribs and strained his right Costochondral joint causing a pause to his season. He returned to competition in March 2021 and won the national title with 63.88. In his third competition in June he nailed his Olympic qualifier with a PB 66.15m. In Tokyo he was superb in the final. In the mix from the outset hitting an opening mark of 65.76m to take an early lead. He eventually finished fourth nailing a PB 67.02m on his last attempt – just 5cm from the podium. It was Australia’s best ever place in a men’s throwing event in Olympic history or in a men’s senior global discus championship.

Selected for the World Championships and Commonwealth Games in 2022, he performed well at both meets. In Eugene at the worlds, he threw 66.98m in the qualifying round and 66.47m in the final to placed sixth. In a close competition he was 1.08m from the podium. But he was very unhappy with the performance.

“Excuse the French but last year p*ssed me off. I should have thrown further than what I did,” he told SBS Sport.

“I was in 68-high form, I warmed up with 68-high in the qualifying and did it easily. I thought, ‘OK, well this is going to be a year to go to 69, 70’, but I just couldn’t find the timing in the final. I was upset by that, that really burnt. That was probably one of the most burning, frustrating performances of my life.”

Two weeks later in Birmingham, he faced top competition to take the title, with two athletes owning superior PB to him, but he was equal to the challenge winning in a lifetime best of 67.26m, with a series where all his six throws would have won – stunning consistency. His winning margin was 2.27m.

In 2023 Matty Denny changed coaches to Victorian-based Dale Stevenson. After a few months of transition, at the Budapest world championships things started to really click when he placed fourth, just missing a medal by 61cm. His throw of 68.24m broke the National record. A month later at the Diamond League final he won becoming just the fifth Aussie to win the Diamond League final. He again raised the National record, hitting 68.43m.

After a slow start to the 2024 domestic season, he capped it perfectly with a win at Nationals in his third National record throw of 69.35m. He continued the momentum finishing second at four Diamond Leagues in May and June – in Doha, Marrakech, Oslo and Stockholm.

At his third Olympic Games in Paris, Matty cruised through the qualifying round. In the final he hit a mammoth throw of 69.31m in the second round. He backed it up with throws of 69.15m and 68.39m. In a thrilling competition he placed third, just 69cm from the gold medal. It was an historic performance, Australia’s first men’s throwing medal at a global (Olympics/worlds) meet.

The confidence of his 2024 campaign directed his 2025 season and that would involve missing the Australian championships to compete at Throw Town, Ramona, in Oklahoma USA. The venue is known to have ideal wind conditions for discus throwing. Ahead of departure for American, Matty was in excellent shape domestically nailing his second (68.17m) and third (67.82m) best throws in Australia.

Last year Lithuania’s Mykolas Alekna had broken the world record with a distance of 74.35m. Matt arrived with a PB of 69.96m. The details of this historic series on competitions:

6 April 2025 – First competition was without Alekna.

Matt’s series was: 69.11, 69.72, 69.17, 72.07 NR WL PB 69.62, 71.12

He surpassed his PB twice, raising the Australian record by 2.11cm with a distance of 72.07m.

10 April 2025 – Second competition was without Alekna.

Matt’s series was: 71.03, 73.46 NR WL PB, 74.25 NR WL PB, 72.93, 71.14, 73.56

He missed the world record by just 10cm !

He twice raised the Australian record (73.46m & 74.25m)

His worse throw was 71.03m.

14 April 2025 – Third competition, Alekna competed.

This was a thrilling competition.

Alekna raised the world record on his first throw (74.89m) and then again in round four (75.56m).

Matt hit a best of 74.78m in round five, surpassing the pre-competition world record.

Matt’s series included five throws over 70 metres.

Alekna’s series: 74.89, f , f, 75.56, f, f

Matt’s series: 65.41, 70.72, 72.24, 71.78, 74.78, 73.36

Matt’s confidence continued to grow back in Europe in 2025 with three wins and a non-‘Throw Town’ best of 70.52m.

Consistently world class: Matt Denny has a reputation as being able to performance when it most matters on the world stage. His coach Dale Stevenson spoke about this after his Eugene performance, noting some people are just “exceptional competitors.” His happy place, according to Stevenson, “is out there competing against the top athletes. It brings the best out of him.”…Changes under coach Stevenson: There have been some adjustments to Matt’s technique under his new coach. One aspect they have named the ‘Steveo step’…Remote coaching: With Dale living in Melbourne and Matt in Brisbane there arrangement is: during peak performance weeks either Dale is in Brisbane or Matt is in Melbourne. Matt: ”We have found this decentralised model works quite effectively.”…Biggest challenge: Coming from a small country town far away from good training facilities…..Interesting facts: One of eight siblings… Occupation: host on Nova 106.9 on Saturday mornings with Angie Kent…Education: Business degree – Major in Sport and Entrepreneurship, Griffith University (2015-2021)

@ 2 September 2025 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au