Who is Australia’s first Olympic decathlon medallist Ash Moloney?

Ash Moloney has cemented his status as the new poster-boy of Australian sport, but his Olympic feats should not come as a shock.

TOKYO, JAPAN - AUGUST 05: Ashley Moloney of Team Australia reacts after winning the bronze medal in the Men's Decathlon with teammate Cedric Dubler of Team Australia on day thirteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 05, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Ash Moloney has cemented his status as the new poster boy of Australian sport after becoming the nation’s first Olympic medallist in the men’s decathlon on Thursday.

The decathlon is arguably the most strenuous event on the Olympic schedule, with points allocated following 10 track and field events – 100 metres, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400 metres, 110-metres hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500 metres.

Moloney was placed second on the tables following Wednesday’s five events, and the blonde 21-year-old secured his spot on the podium after registering a time of 4:39.19 in the final 1500m race on Thursday evening.

“F*** yeah!” Moloney screamed as he embraced countryman Cedric Dubler at the finish line.

Moloney needed to break his own Australian record and personal best by 157 points to make history, his total of 8649 ranking as the third-best by a Commonwealth athlete.

During the gruelling Tokyo decathlon, he also improved his personal best in the 100m sprint and 110m hurdles.

“I was sitting in my bed yelling my heart out, banging on the bed telling him to go faster, he was getting so far behind in the 1500m,” Moloney’s mother said from lockdown in Queensland.

Ash Moloney you freakin' star. What a performance. Hard to convey what the humidity, the heat would do over two solid days on the track. This guy is a rolled gold, gold medalist in the making. He's 21 and won bronze. Absolute superstar.

— Michael Gleeson (@mickgleeson) August 5, 2021

So much to love about Moloney and valiant @CedricDubler tonight. An #Olympics medal at last for coach Eric Brown 👏👏👏

— Damien Stannard (@dstanno) August 5, 2021

So many good performances from this @AthsAust team and magnificent for a young star to win our first medal.

Ash Moloney doesn’t get this close if the Games were 12 months ago but now he is set for a huge run into Paris. Brilliant Bronze for the Brisbane boy 🥉#Athletics

— QUENTIN HULL (@QuentinHull) August 5, 2021

Who is Ash Moloney?

Born in Brisbane, Moloney fell in love with the sport after joining Jimboomba Little Athletics Centre as a kid.

The Queenslander was destined for big things after winning gold in the decathlon at the 2018 World Junior Championships in Tampere, breaking the competition record and Oceania junior record.

The following year, he won decathlon gold again at the 2019 Oceania Championships in Townsville.

He was awarded the Bruce McAvaney Award for the Performance of the Year after breaking the decathlon Oceania record at the Queensland Combined Event Championships in December last year.

And back in April, Moloney clinched the national decathlon title at the 2021 Australian Track and Field Championships in Sydney with 8284 points.

Needless to say, his journey towards Olympic bronze has been full of impressive superlatives.

“Ash is incredible. He’s the next big thing in track and field, and it’s incredible to train with him,” Dubler said in April.

“I took on a mentoring role when he first joined the squad, and ever since then I had to pull him away from those Milo cups, mid lactic session and just keep him focused, so I’ve gone above expectations and he’s blitzing it now.

“It’s a really good friendship and mutually beneficially. We push each other in sessions and we keep each other honest, and it’s going to work for both of us.”

Australia's new Olympic poster boy, Ash Moloney.

The 21-year-old cemented his place in history this week.

Moloney told The Sydney Morning Herald before travelling to Tokyo: “The body is great, no doubt about that, but the mind is a little bit foggy.

“I don’t think I am stressed, but every time I think about it I feel something in my stomach – my stomach churning.

“I definitely feel the pressure to perform, but when I get on to the track I don’t think about anything other than what is in front of me because that is my happy place, I know what to do. I know how to execute. That’s all I have got to do out there.”

Teammate’s selfless act is an ‘iconic image’

Dubler finished 21st overall but deserves a share of Moloney’s bronze for the way he spurred his training partner on during the final leg.

Knowing he was out of medal contention, Dubler sacrificed his own race and ran alongside Moloney to act as a pacer, yelling encouragement and spurring his mate on.

“He had me worried for a little bit then I just started screaming at him and we got him there,” Dubler told Channel 7 after the race.

Moloney opened up on how important his countryman’s help was in delivering him a special souvenir to bring home from Tokyo.

“He was screaming. I can’t repeat what he said. I could hear his voice bouncing in my cranium like a bat out of hell,” Moloney said.

“I started hitting a wall at 800m and I was a bit concerned but I was like, ‘Just stick to Cedric. Don’t let him get too far away’. He screamed … like a nutter.”

Dubler’s selflessness didn’t go unnoticed by Channel 7 commentators Bruce McAvaney and Tamsyn Manou.

“He has been able to help Ash mentally and now physically right to the end,” McAvaney said.

Manou added: “He has been fabulous. He sacrificed his own event here just to help his teammate.”

A moment of relief after completing the 1500m.

Can they share the bronze medal?

– with James Matthey

Originally published as Who is Australia’s first Olympic decathlon medallist Ash Moloney?