Sleeping giant of world athletics Ashley Moloney qualifies for Tokyo Olympic Games
Lookout athletes of the world. A Queensland youngster who is the sleeping giant of world athletics has qualified for his first Olympic Games.
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Queensland sporting superstar Ashley Moloney, the sleeping giant of world athletics, has qualified for his first Olympic Games in Tokyo this year.
The decathlon young gun, whose performances as a 20-year-old were unsurpassed in world decathlon, took himself to the brink of team selection with an Australian record breaking effort at last month’s state titles.
His score of 8492 across the 10 events was unheard of for someone so young and prompted dual Olympic gold medallist Ashton Eaton and ex-Olympic medallist and world champion medallist Damian Warner to publicly acknowledge his Olympic qualifying effort.
“All were stunned by the score and performance for a 20-year-old,’’ said his coach Eric Brown.
“The cat is out of the bag. Ash has put the world on notice and he is potentially a medal contender (Olympics).’’
Moloney added: “That was pretty incredible to hear from them (Warner and Eaton). I did not expect it. These are big time legends of the sport.’’
From working class Logan City, Moloney has overcome the COVID-19 shutdown crisis, the emotional let down of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo being called off and living “pay cheque to pay cheque’’ to be on the brink of his dream selection.
So talented is Moloney, a Brisbane Boys College old boy, that his performances as an under 20 have bettered current world record holder Kevin Mayer at the same age.
He has even gone past his training partner, Rio Olympian and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Cedric Dubler, who has also produced a Tokyo Olympic qualifying performance.
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Moloney said overcoming the frustration of last year’s COVID lockdown and the subsequent cancelling of the 2020 Olympics had made producing an Olympic qualifying effort all the more satisfying.
“It was a very difficult period,’’ said Moloney, recalling last year’s lockdown when he relied on a home gym and the Browns Plains Little Athletics oval to maintain his fitness.
“And when the Olympics were called off I did not want to train. It was heartbreaking. I remember driving the half-hour to training, but it felt like a two hour trip.
“It really took the enjoyment out of it.
“But looking back on it, sometime in the future, I will say I qualified for the Olympic trials after a world pandemic. Not too many people would have done that.’’
Moloney, who like many potential Olympic athletes survives “pay cheque to pay cheque’’, said he was grateful for the financial support of Athletics Australia and affiliates.
Moloney first started in the gruelling decathlon, which comprises 10 events - 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m, 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin - aged 15 years while at the Jimboomba Little Athletics Centre.
He then gained a scholarship with elite private school BBC where he said exposure to first class gym facilities aided his development.
But joining veteran jumps coach Brown at UQ Sport, and training with elite athletes like Dubler and Caitlin Jones, was a huge moment in his career.
Moloney first raised eyebrows across the athletic world when, in 2018, he claimed the under 20 world champion with a meet record of 8190 - a points tally better than current world record holder Kevin Mayer at the same age.
At the time, when Brown was asked could Moloney make the 2020 Olympics, he replied: “If I was a betting man I would say he is a certainty.’’
And the good news is Brown says Moloney has so much more to offer.
“He has so much improvement in every event, considering when he started as a 15 or 16-year-old he was not much good at anything,’’ he smiled.
“If there are any major sponsors out there Ash is looking for one it would be a cracking investment as this young man is one of the best prospects the world has ever seen.’’
FACT BOX
Events
100m, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m. The second day’s events are 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500m.
Duration
2 days
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