Cedric Dubler happy to share his fears and tears with fans through social media

NOT every elite sportsman is keen to tell the public of the day in make-or-break competition that he cried four times. But Cedric Dubler embraces the reaction he gets from social media.

BRISBANE Olympian Cedric Dubler is very social on social media.

Not every elite sportsman is given to telling the public of the day in make-or-break competition that he cried four times.

But Dubler, the first Australian in 16 years to post a qualifying points score enabling him to compete in the Olympic decathlon, says athletes “don’t have to build a wall around them’’.

Dubler is a weekly poster of vlogs (video blogs) on YouTube of his training sessions in his event and recent competitions, including the one in Sydney in March which qualified him with six personal best results.

The 21-year-old’s vlogs have had watchers from Europe, the United States and many parts of Australia. He replies to questions about training, reckoning that many of them do not have the encouragement and coaching which has gone into his athletics.

Week 14 of the #RoadToRio Training Diary is up! I run, run, run and run some more!https://t.co/afx58twNTK pic.twitter.com/u9kNmBKCvo

— Cedric Dubler (@CedricDubler) July 4, 2016

Dubler, a silver medallist in the 2014 world titles decathlon, says he hopes to finish in the top eight in Rio and win a medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in his home state.

Australian male sporting success has been mostly built on the hairy chested ethos of never showing the world that you are hurting.

During his national championships win, he stopped after virtually event to allow his viewers to see into his hopes and fears.

“That’s the javelin done. I’m so nervous,’’ he said, looking at a handheld camera.

“I cried three times out at the javelin and I cried down that hallway there. I need to run 4mins58.12sec to qualify for the Olympic Games. There’s a lot of support on Facebook, on Snapchat and on Twitter. I cannot wait to get it done.’’

Cedric Dubler

Cedric Dubler

Dubler said: “I’ve seen (American Olympic decathlon champion) Ash Eaton cry after he broke the world record. If Ash Eaton cries, I’m allowed to cry. Athletes don’t have to build a wall around them.”

In 2010, Eric Brown, the coach of Queensland’s 2006 Commonwealth bronze medallist Jason Dudley, convinced Dubler he had the skills to become a decathlete.

“When I made the 2012 world juniors, I still did swimming, soccer (to a state champions representative level) and cross country,’’ he said.

Dubler came fourth at the age of 17 at a world junior titles and is still rangy enough in build to suggest it is years before he will reach his best.

The first-time Olympian is working with a sports psychologist on how to best put a bad result behind him during the 10 events in Rio.

“The hardest for me are the shot put and probably the 1500m,’’ said Dubler, who clock-watched coolly at the national titles to go across the finish line 3 sec under the target time which would have given him enough points to qualify for the Games.

“It’s a matter of putting the events together. If you lose it mentally, it’s hard to come back from. Training until then is about getting the basis up well and building on that.’’