Sweet reason Aussie medallist ditched Closing Ceremony
Matthew Denny is returning to Australia with a bronze medal after smashing his competitors in the men's discus throw event.
Eagle-eyed fans realised his absence from the Olympics closing ceremony, which the athlete has since addressed.
Speaking with Today Extra as he landed back in Australia, Denny, 28, explained the romantic reason behind why he missed the special event.
Watch the video above.
READ MORE: King's secret devastation over Archie and Lilibet revealed
Matthew Denny won bronze, but gave the Closing Ceremony in Paris a miss. AP
"I feel bad, but I didn't end up going to the Closing; I decided [my wife] Mia was going to be by herself, and I need to give back some time to her because ... it's been a pretty brutal 12 months for her," he said.
"So I thought it was really important that we had a nice dinner, and we obviously watched the Closing Ceremony, but I just wanted to give her some time."
READ MORE: Lightest carry-on luggage for sleek and savvy travellers
After flying back from Paris to Australia, Denny has a training session to attend so that he can "finish the year off strong."
Denny with his wife Mia, celebrating his success in Paris. Instagram
The athlete won third place at the event in Paris, throwing for 69.31 metres on his second attempt of the final as the Olympic record was broken twice.
The athlete had a clear message for his critics, telling Wide World of Sports, "I'm just thankful that people always back me. To those who didn't think I was going to do it... eat it!
"It's something I'm so proud of, what I do, I get to live an amazing life. I have a great family and support team.
"Before I went into this competition, I watched back the Qantas ad we did. I just want to see those people again before I went in here.
"I know that's who I'm doing it for. So... yeah, thank you to you guys for supporting me."
The sporting star plans to return to the Olympics and reach for gold. Getty
"I can't not be proud of my performance, but the inner critic wants more, and I know there's more there," he said.
"To get a medal is amazing but the critic is still there in me. We'll go again. My goal is to get to Brisbane in 2032."
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
Most viewed in Lifestyle
The four-year experiment that created Australia’s best sausage roll
Meghan gives first look at Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s new UK life
It costs more than $150k to raise a kid, but half a million Aussies do it with no savings. These are the money mistakes to avoid
Prince William and Kate back return to official duties with subtle nod to Prince Harry
