They returned home Olympic heroes, but won’t be resting on their laurels

“I’m aiming for another two Games,” Denny said. “My ultimate goal is to make Brissy ’32. If I can do that, which would be five [Games], currently no one else has done it in Australian athletics.

“That’s the big goal for me, but we’ve got a lot more to do and a lot more to prove. I think we still had a lot more to give in Paris, and to walk away wanting, I think is a good thing for me – especially over the next couple of years.

“For the athletics team, I think we’re in a great space where everyone is lifting the standard consistently.

“We’re getting more medals, but we’re all getting off the plane not just wanting to wear the tracksuit. We’re wanting to compete and hold that standard, and I think a lot of the Europeans are thinking, ‘the Aussies are off the plane now, watch out’.

“I’ve still got a job to do.”

Having heard rumours of a “decent street party” planned for Allora, his trip home will nonetheless be scheduled around training.

But he wants the celebrations to fuel a broader movement.

“I hope this is the start of … me not being the first and last [medal winner], especially in the throws for men’s disc,” Denny said.

“To be able to get a lot of videos and photos of kids out in the backyard painting sectors and circles and having a throw, that’s what it’s all about.

“Obviously, high performance is great, and you want to win medals and meet KPIs and everything else, but I think as a team, everyone is very good at representing their story, what they’ve done, where they’ve come from, and everything that comes behind that.

“There’s a lot more meaning than just performance.”