They are the toughest medals to win in track and field and for the first time an Aussie has one, with 21-year-old Ash Moloney claiming bronze in the decathlon event at the Tokyo Olympics.
But as incredible as Moloney was in the 10-discipline event, his glory was matched by the incredible sportsmanship of his teammate Cedric Dubler who drove him to the finish line as the medal looked in doubt.
Moloney went into the second last event, the javelin, in second but slipped to the bronze medal place.
It meant the Aussie went into the 1500 metres needing to finish within 10 seconds of fourth-placed American Garrett Scantling to claim a medal.
On the bell lap Moloney was nine seconds off Scantling and fading, but Dubler paced him on home to third place.
As Moloney collapsed over the line Dubler celebrated down the straight then screamed with delight for his teammate when he crossed the line himself.
Moloney, in his first international meet, yelled “f*** yeah!’ – not the first time we’ve heard that from an Aussie competitor this Games – and celebrated his Australian record total of 8649, 28 points ahead of the fourth-placed athlete.
“He has been fabulous, hasn’t he?” Tamsyn Manou said of Dubler on Channel Seven.
“He sacrificed his own event here just to help his teammate.”
Dubler told Channel 7 he had been stressed trying to get his young teammate through the torture of the final event.
“I had to obviously run our own race and try and bring him through but also keep an eye on where Pierce and Scantling were and make sure they didn’t get too far ahead.
“He had me worried for a little bit then I just started screaming at him and we got him there.”
Moloney said: “I could hear his voice bouncing in my cranium like a bat out of hell.
“… Just putting one foot in front of the other. I started hitting a wall at 800 metres and I was a bit concerned but I was like, ‘just stick to Cedric. Don’t let him get too far away.’ I executed and he screamed like a …”
Dubler jumped in: “like a nut”. “Like a nutter,” Moloney replied.
“Across the line I saw I got a PB and I was like oh, we’re on,” said Moloney. “Then I just started crying on the spot. I was like ‘I can’t believe this has happened’.
“He’s very important. He keeps me honest all the time. He always calls me out when I’m being a bit of an idiot. I can’t thank him enough.”
Social media lit up at Dubler’s amazing support.
Earlier Stewart McSweyn and Ollie Hoare both qualified for the final of the 1500m, the first time Australia has had two runners in the final since 1956.
Hoare (3:34.35) finished fourth in the first heat while McSweyn (3:32.54) was fifth in the second heat.
jameswm
Roar Guru
He got reinstated. And no it is not illegal, unless they have been lapped.
Lionheart
Roar Rookie
great performance, marginal call coaching a team mate mid event in an individual event, but obviously quite legal
The Bear
Guest
Great efforts from both Cedric and Ashley. Credit should also go to their coach Eric Brown who coaches both out of the University of Queensland. Hopefully their performances and the performance of their team mates over the last week will led to more registrations for Little Athletics clubs around Australia. Little Athletics allows athletes to experience multiple event types from U6 to U17. You are not pidgeoned holed like you are at schools or other associations. You can learn how to run, hurdle, jump, throw etc in a supportive environment where any standard is accepted. You can then work on improving over time to become a better athlete.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
The Decathlon is certainly a blue ribbon Olympic event, right up there with the 100m sprint and the marathon. To change tone slightly, I actually thought it was illegal to help other runners by deliberately pacing. I can recall a Moroccan runner losing a gold because a compatriot of his was deemed to help him maintain pace despite having been lapped (in the 5000m or 10,000m).
Chris Lewis
Roar Guru
yes both excellent achievements.
Munro Mike
Roar Rookie
Just a note - you'll need to edit this one: "Earlier Stewart McSweyn and Ollie Hoare both qualified for the final of the 500m, the first time Australia has had two runners in the final since 1956."
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
What a great story these two have given us