Denny 64.64m as Thomas, Davies claim National Titles at Sydney Track Classic

Photos by Flynn Hopkins for Inside Athletics

Matt Denny broke the discus meet record while Jude Thomas and Rose Davies were crowned national champions over 3000m at the Sydney Track Classic.

Denny returned to competition for the first time since his fourth place at the Tokyo Olympics and showed he is in strong form with a 64.64m throw, finding an extra gear to claim the meet record.

“I was in the third round and got so close to that meet record (64.23m). I thought, well, I was short at Tokyo and I don’t want to relive that so I found that extra gear. That’s my mantra this year – to find another gear when I need it,” Denny said.

“I’m also really proud of where I’m at for my first throw of the season. Considering the way I started in the year leading into Tokyo, I’m metres ahead and uninjured. I look back at last season, and just before I did my rib injury, I was throwing 66m in in training and that was a good indicator, but I went back to 53m when I got injured, so to get back up to 67 in four months shows that I’m consistently improving.

“It’s a really good start. I didn’t have expectations for tonight given I’m in a heavy training load so I’m looking forward to what’s to come ahead of World Championships in Oregon and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

19-year-old Jude Thomas – the Australian junior record holder over 3000m – ran a confident race to claim his first senior national title in a personal best 7:47.26 from Cameron Griffith (7:47.30) and Sam McEntee (7:47.56).

“About five laps in, I was feeling great. I was with the guys I look up to, so it was a great experience. Just being shoulder to shoulder with them is an unreal experience. So to do that and take the win at these Championships makes me look forward to what is ahead,” Thomas said.

The women’s race was similarly a sprint finish, with Rose Davies backing up well from her victory at the Box Hill Burn 5000m on Tuesday, with a 9:06.35 win ahead of Natalie Rule (9:06.68). Holly Campbell was third in 9:08.03.

“There was so much pushing and shoving in the race; I wasted so much energy trying to hold my place. I’m not used to that type of racing. I’m used to consistent pace where we are out there for a lot of laps so we can settle, but I held my nerve, so I’m really happy with the outcome,” Davies said.

“I knew that if I wanted to beat some of the girls here, I had to go hard from a long way out. Jenny has such a good kick, and Nat too. My plan was to go from a long way, which is different for me, but I’m glad I can show myself that I can do that.”

Bendere Oboya made it two-from-two in her step up to the 800m, winning in a new personal best of 2:01.92 after a fast opening lap. Claudia Hollingsworth was second in 2:02.34 in a race where seven women broke 2:04.

Peter Bol was all class in a close men’s 800m, winning in 1:46.03 from New Zealand’s James Preston (1:46.25).

Ella Connolly continued her strong form, winning the 100m/400m sprint double less than an hour apart with runs of 11.37 (+0.3) and a personal best 52.21 seconds.

In other action:

Liz Clay won the 100m hurdles in 12.92 seconds (-0.2) from Celeste Mucci (13.02).
Nick Hough ran a season’s best 13.75 seconds (+0.2) to win the 110m hurdles.
Tokyo Olympian Alex Beck won the 400m in 46.24 seconds
New Zealand’s Portia Bing took out the 400m hurdles in 55.54 seconds
Eddie Osei-Nketia from New Zealand beat Australia’s best in the 100m, running 10.30 seconds (-0.1). Jake Hale was a tenth of a second behind in 10.40.
Great Britain’s Jade Lally won the discus in 59.90m.
Alex Hulley (68.94m) and Ned Weatherly (68.74m) won the hammer throw.
High jump wins were recorded by Joel Baden 2.24m and New Zealand’s Keeley O’Hagan (1.80m)
Dalton Di Medio, 5.15m, and Courtney Smallacombe, 4.15m, took out the pole vault.
Sally Shokry won the shot put in 13.69m
Desleigh Owusu, 13.18m (+0.2), and Ayo Ore, 16.11m (-0.9) won the triple jump events.

A gallery of over 100 photos is available here. Free downloads when you subscribe to our mailing list.

Recent posts:

Commonwealth Games Photo Galleries
Re-live the highlights from each day, through the lens of Fred Etter. Free downloads using the code you receive when you subscribe to our newsletter. Gearing up for the season? Replacement spikes, shipped fast from Melbourne. Shop Now
Caldwell leads podium sweep; Kerr too classy in men’s mile
Abbey Caldwell didn’t do everything right. But she did do the right things right when they counted. The 25-year-old, who was the bronze medallist over 1500m in Birmingham four years ago, led home an Australian 1-2-3 in a tactical masterclass at Scotstoun Stadium. The only fault was non-consequential, with the Victorian getting boxed in on
7 Gold on final day as Australia tops medal tally
Has there ever been a more golden day for Australian athletics than the final one at Scotstoun Stadium? With 7 golds and 10 minor medals won, the answer is ‘no.’ The previous most successful day was over 75 years ago, in 1950, when Australia won 6 gold in a day. Rhiannon Clarke, fourth in the
Denny goes back-to-back as discus dominance continues in Glasgow
Matt Denny has defended his Commonwealth Games discus title in emphatic style at Scotstoun, throwing 67.73m to win by more than two and a half metres, with every one of his five legal throws far enough for gold. Jamaica’s Fedrick Dacres took silver with 65.10m, while England’s Lawrence Okoye — who has spent much of
“It’s not Little Athletics”: from mum’s heckle to a Commonwealth hat-trick
Twelve months ago, Jemima Montag was recovering from hamstring surgery, watching the world championships from home. On the final day of athletics in Glasgow, she became just the second Australian race walker to win three consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medals. And she led home an Australian clean sweep to do it. Montag’s winning time of