Sat Sep 14 00:36:00 UTC 2024: ## Aussie Denny Smashes National Record, Eyes World Title

**Brussels, Belgium:** Australian discus star Matt Denny capped off a stellar season by claiming his second consecutive Diamond League final victory in Brussels, narrowly missing the 70m mark. The 28-year-old shattered the Australian record in the opening round with a mammoth throw of 69.96m, leaving his competitors in the dust.

Denny, who secured bronze at the Paris Olympics, previously broke the national record in April at the Australian championships in Adelaide. He admitted to having a “71m throw” in him but was satisfied with his performance. “It’s about when we get to 70m now,” said Denny, who also broke the meet record. He announced his intention to chase the world record in the US, stating, “We’ve got a big focus for the beginning of next year.”

The Diamond League final also saw another strong performance from Australian high jumper Nicola Olyslagers, who finished second behind Ukrainian world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh. Both athletes cleared 1.97m, but Olyslagers was edged out after needing two attempts at 1.95m and 1.97m.

Other notable performances included Norwegian Jakob Ingbrigtsen’s photo-finish victory in the men’s 1500m, and Armand Duplantis’s dominant win in the men’s pole vault. The 100m titles went to Julien Alfred of St Lucia and Ackeem Blake of Jamaica.

Australia has another strong contingent of athletes competing in the second night of the Diamond League final on Saturday, including Olympic pole vault champion Nina Kennedy, Jessica Hull, and Georgia Griffith in the women’s 1500m, and Mackenzie Little in the javelin.

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