ATHLETICS: Allora athlete Matthew Denny is back throwing hammer as he aims to qualify in two events for this year's world championships and World University Games.

The IAAF world championships are in London on August 4-13 and are likely to be the last competition for the greatest athlete of all time, Usain Bolt.

Denny has already thrown a qualifier in discus for the World University Games in Taipei on August 19-30 and went close to a qualifier in hammer on Saturday night in Brisbane.

"I had a breakthrough week in training in hammer and threw 69.7 metres on Saturday so just missed the qualifier of 70.5 metres,” he said.

Denny was 19th in discus at his first Olympics at Rio in August and after returning home took a five-week break before returning to full training.

After winning gold in discus and hammer at the nationals early last year, Denny decided to concentrate on discus as it was his best chance to throw an Olympic qualifier of 65m.

He threw an automatic qualifier in America in May and will need another one this year to automatically make it to London in discus.

Denny expects 65m in discus and 76m in hammer will be the automatic qualifiers but there will be a chance to make it to London with lesser distances.

If 32 athletes don't throw qualifiers in either event, the roll-down system will be used to allow athletes with lesser distances to make it to the world championships.

"More could make it to London under the roll-down system as a few drop out in non-Olympic years,” he said.

"We (Denny and coach Grahame Pitt) aren't worried about the roll-down system, we are planning to throw qualifiers and go even further.”

Denny wants to get qualifier pressure off his back as early as possible but there is the option to throw qualifiers in June and July this year when he plans to base himself in Germany or Great Britain for a number of European competitions.

He threw 61.11m in discus in Rio and has bettered that already this season, with throws of 61.44m and 62.10m in Brisbane.

"I was happy with the distances as I am in heavy training and not tapering for events. The season is really building well,” he said.

Denny watched Bolt's three gold medals runs in Rio and could see more of the Jamaican this year.

"I saw a fair bit of Usain at the Olympics as the Jamaican tent was next to ours on the side of the warm-up track. They were calling over the loudspeaker for him to hurry up for one event and I nearly told him to get going,” Denny said.

In the end, the thrower from Allora kept quiet, Bolt made it to his event and the rest is history.

Warwick long jumper Carlee Beattie will have the first chance to compete in London this year where she is set to compete in the World ParaAthletics Championships on July 14-23.

She won the same event at the 2015 world championships.