With Period One of Commonwealth Games Australia’s (CGA) Green2Gold2Great funding coming to an end, Australian Athletics bookended the period with a bang.
Throws athletes from around Australia joined each other at QSAC in Queensland, utilising the recently developed National Throws Centre for a weeklong camp. Featuring throwers from javelin, discus, shot put and seated throws events, the camp aimed to provide an exposure point for the country’s most talented emerging throwers in a high-performance environment.
Bringing together some of the country’s top throwers, including reigning Commonwealth Games gold medallists Matt Denny (discus) and Kelsey Lee-Barber (javelin), the Green2Gold2Great funding also enabled several high performance and developing coaches to attend.
Emerging discus throwers were also able to draw on the experiences of two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Dani Stevens, who has helped to inspire a generation of throwers.
Chelsy Wayne, silver medallist at the Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, was one beneficiary of Stevens’ coaching, commending the opportunity to learn from one of Australia’s best, and someone she’s been “watching throw since she was four”.
“She has really good insight…she knows what to think about and how to work on specific parts of your technique, which has been really helpful. I’ve also found working with her in the gym there are new exercises that helped her that I will incorporate when home.”
With a strong history in field events at the Commonwealth Games, and Glasgow 2026 now firmly on the horizon, one of Australia’s top throws hopes in Denny completed an intensive training block through the week, working with analysts and coaches on various aspects of his movements.
Also of importance to Denny during the week was the next generation, a group in which he feels inspired to lead, noting the importance of the camp as a way of providing a platform for throws athletes to develop side by side.
“Seeing the younger generation come in and be able to learn from experienced athletes, it’s great to see, cause it means that the cultures alive, people get to interact and aren’t in their different silos across the country,” Denny said.
“It’s good to give them an opportunity to mix with everyone, providing them with competition and an atmosphere that teaches them to perform under pressure.”
Following a successful week of interactive sessions both on and off the field, Australian Athletics High Performance Coach, Mike Barber, noted his excitement for throws events at Glasgow 2026, commenting on the Commonwealth Games as “the breeding ground for our emerging stars, and a great place for our top athletes to consolidate their standing.”
CGA invested $4.7 million in Period One of Green2Gold2Great, enabling the development of current and emerging athletes within Australia’s Green & Gold decade.
Australia’s athletes and their respective sports are set to receive a $6.5 million boost from CGA through Period Two of its Green2Gold2Great investment program.
An allocation of $4 million will support delivering the best possible result at Glasgow 2026, with the 10 program sports to share in a pool of funds that is geared toward achieving team success, while a further $1 million will also be allocated to sports who do not feature at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
