By Dominique Tassell
Matt Denny might have been 5cm off a medal, but he’s cemented himself as one of Australia’s golden boys.
Matt says the competition was “good fun” even though the “5cm is still killing me”.
He says “I never thought I’d be so frustrated with that performance”.
He says he’s “still happy with how we performed” and “my team is so happy”, but it’s hard knowing he had “more in the tank”.
Matt says he knew he could throw 68m but was just off.
He says “it’s hard to not be happy with it” but “to know I had more there was definitely very frustrating”.
“I’m still super happy.”
He says he’s dealing with “a lot of mixed emotions” and he’s “still processing” his fourth place success.
Matt says it’s “so amazing” how much support he got, from people all over the country.
He says he’s received “so many messages of support and everyone has been extremely kind“.
“I’m spending around ten hours a day trying to get back to everyone.
“I don’t know how to describe it.“
He says he’s received messages from people he doesn’t know, or who didn’t know much about the sport prior to this Olympics, saying they were yelling in pubs in support of him.
“That’s amazing for me, I want to bring attention to my sport”
He says the interest about athletics in this Olympics was incredible to see, especially discus
When asked about the comments online praising his larrikin energy, he says he’s just glad his personality translated on screen.
“I enjoy bringing a bit of personality to the sport, bringing that comedy side.“
Matt says it’s important to him to relax in between throws.
“You get drained, you need to switch off, so I enjoy mucking around while resting and in between throws.“
Matt is currently in quarantine at Howard Springs in the Northern Territory, and said he had about “nine days left” on 9 August.
He says he’ll be glad to have some time off, and is taking about two weeks off then getting back into it.
“Not too much time off,“ he says.
He says he hasn’t had a holiday in a long time, and is looking forward to going for a drive and staying somewhere not too far off from home.
He’s eager to catch up with family, especially his fiancé and their new dog.
Matt has the world championships and commonwealth games to prep for, so his newfound fans can see plenty more of him soon.
The Allora Sports Club is planning an ‘old-style’ tickertape parade for Matt “to welcome him back onto home turf and to celebrate his recent Olympic achievements”.
The date is set for Friday, 10th September, when locals can help welcome Matt home.
