An Aussie discus thrower who broke the world record last weekend has had his achievements marred by a bizarre claim of ‘weather doping’ from some commentators.
Matthew Denny was competing at the Oklahoma Throws Series in Ramona when he out-did his previous top throw of 69.96m to set a new Australian record of 74.78m.
The monster effort broke the world record of 74.35m set at the same arena last year by Lithuanian star Mykolas Alekna.
However, Denny could not take the top spot at this year’s event, with Alekna, 22, returning to set another new world record of 75.56m to finish top of the charts.
Denny, 28, placed second with his top throw.
The field yielded an outstanding group of results with five competitors breaking the 70m barrier.
Australian discus star Matthew Denny smashed his personal best this weekend and briefly owned the world record
Denny and other athletes competing at the blustery Oklahoma Throws Series in Ramona, Oklahoma, have been accused of ‘weather doping’ due to the unique nature of the venue
Denny was beaten to the top prize by Mykolas Alenka of Lithuania (pictured) who threw a world record of 75.56m
In the female category, Valarie Allman smashed the US women’s record, launching her discus 73.52m. It was the longest discus throw by a woman in 36 years.
Despite that, some Scandinavian commentators and coaches have made the accusation that the athletes’ performances would not have been so good if it weren’t for the unique conditions at the arena.
The event is based at the Millican Field in Ramona. It is a small town with a population of around 700 people but it has become synonymous within the athletic community for its nickname, Throw Town, with athletes coming from far and wide to compete.
Millican Fields has multiple throwing circles situated in different positions around the grounds. When the winds are swirling, organisers can pick which circle they want athletes to throw from, depending on which way the wind is blowing.
For many athletes, that makes competing in Oklahoma a great opportunity to record bigger distances.
Unlike events such as sprinting, there are no restrictions on the wind assistance discus throwers are allowed to receive.
Despite that, some have criticised athletes being allowed to take advantage of the gusts at Millican Field.
‘Mykolas Alekna smashes his own world record with a 75.56 throw in a wind-battered Ramona and I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,’ Swedish commentator Mats Wennerholm said.
Discus throwers like Denny (pictured) are not limited in how much wind assistance they can receive, unlike athletes in events like sprinting
Complaints about ‘wind doping’ came as several other stars, including Team GB’s Lawrence Okoye (pictured), broke the 70m barrier in Oklahoma
‘It just becomes ridiculous in a competition boosted by gale-force winds. Weather doping should be added to the banned list.’
Ex-800m champion Vebjorn Rodal, said: ‘It’s blowing like crazy here. There’s no doubt this arena is sought out for throwing far.’
The coach of Sweden’s Olympic and world champion, Daniel Stahl, Staffan Jonsson, said: ‘It’s a different sport.’
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest that any of the competitors engaged in any form of doping, and we have contacted World Athletics for comment.
It appears, though, that all the results will stand. Thor Gjesdal of the Norwegian Athletics Federation said that it would be difficult to change the rules and that the results would stand.
‘It is more difficult to quantify the benefit of wind in the same way as in running,’ Gjesdal said.
‘It will be difficult to change the rules now.’
The rules for discus differ from those in track and jump events.
The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) stipulate that in competition, sprinting and jumping performances are deemed illegal if they are recorded when conditions exceed more than 2.0 m/s.
