Athletics-Australia's Denny throws down challenge to discus rivals

April 7 (Reuters) - Australian discus thrower Matthew Denny launched himself into world championship contention with a 72.07-metre heave in Oklahoma on Sunday, becoming his nation's first to break the 70-metre barrier.

Denny's mark at the Oklahoma Throws Series ranks fifth all-time and is a boost for the Olympic bronze medallist as he builds for the World Championships in Tokyo in September.

"We're finally over the 70-metre mark and we did it in pretty solid fashion, so it's really satisfying," said the 28-year-old Queenslander.

"But also, the job isn't done yet. We came here for one reason and that was for the world record."

The world record of 74.35 was set by Lithuanian Mykolas Alekna at the same meet last year at Millican Field outside Tulsa.

Olympic silver medallist Alekna's record eclipsed German Juergen Schult's 74.08 in 1986, which had been the longest-standing world mark in men's athletics.

Denny's effort on Sunday smashed his previous best of 69.96 for victory in the Diamond League Final in Brussels last year.

He will throw again at the Oklahoma series in the World Invitational against Alekna in the coming weekend.

One of eight siblings who grew up on a rural property in southeast Queensland, Denny dedicated his ground-breaking throw to his father who died last year after the Paris Olympics.

"This one was for Dad. He was a country guy who just did it anyway and got the job done no matter what the circumstances were," said Denny.

"It keeps me accountable to just not complain and just get the job done." (Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)