Chalk It Up | Denny ready to rip at Melbourne Track Classic

To the casual athletics fan, the discus throw seems like a simple operation – chalk, spin, throw, yell, repeat. 

But when Matthew Denny steps into the circle on Thursday night, rest assured his preparation has been nothing short of an endless pursuit of perfection in what he says is the sport’s most technical event. 

Many would acknowledge that the ‘thrower’s club’ is an exclusive collection of raw strength and power, but the man-mountain that is Denny is a prime example of why such basic analysis undermines his meticulous training regime. 

“You have to be as strong as an Olympic weightlifter, as flexible as a gymnast and as balanced as a ballerina, all while you’re trying to be as explosive as a 100m sprinter,” he said. 

“It takes a lot to be as powerful as you need to be in order to be competitive on the international circuit, but they’re challenges I enjoy.” 

The Melbourne Track Classic will serve as a welcomed return to competition for Denny, who is relishing the opportunity to rub shoulders with familiar faces at his first high performance meet in over 12 months.  

“To be able to catch plane and travel to see the Aussie teammates and share experiences and stories is definitely exciting,” he said. 

“I’m just excited to be back doing what I love. I don’t train to train; I train to compete.” 

Denny, who is coached by Ben Thomson, is confident of grasping the handful of opportunities presented to him before Tokyo with both hands. 

“I only have a limited number of competitions before Tokyo. If I do the competition right, I should start slow and then finish fast,” he said.  

But it has not all been smooth sailing for the 2016 Olympian. 

“I was in the form of my life in November, but I popped two ribs, rotated my sternum, strained my costochondral and obliques. It was like I was in a car wreck, but it was just from throwing in an incorrect position,” he said. 

“To have that drag on for four months was destroying my mind.” 

Denny’s mental strength is one of his greatest assets and a testimony to his character, having navigated the COVID-19 pandemic with the lonely echoes of isolation amplified by the uncertainty of the Tokyo Olympics. 

“Coming off the best season of my life that was really heartbreaking to not be able to put that on show in Tokyo, it just felt like a lot of wasted time,” he said. 
“The last 12 months have been a struggle to say the very least, it’s been rough but I’m grateful for my friends and support teams.”

One key member in his corner is his now fiancé Mia, after Denny proposed to his long-time partner late in 2020, putting a silver lining on a challenging period. 

It might just be the positive push that the 24-year-old needed ahead of his all-important 2021 campaign, with Denny adamant his best is well and truly ahead of him. 

“I have a lot going for me with my technique and we have so much unexplored strength and power work. There is so much more potential to be gained, so when we do find that I definitely think that my aspirations of medaling at or even winning an Olympics are possible,” he said.  

Denny will also compete on Saturday at the Queensland Track Classic. 

By Lachlan Moorhouse
Posted: 24/3/2021