Australian Modern Pentathletes at the Olympic Games

Australian modern pentathletes have a proud history at the Olympic Games. There have been 24 who have competed in Modern Pentathlon at the Olympic Games, dating back to Forbes Carlisle at Helsinki in 1952.

At the most recent Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 Chloe Esposito, aged just 24 and at her second Games, became Olympic Champion and Australia’s first medallist in the sport. Not only was Chloe joined by her younger brother Max, who finished an impressive seventh at Rio 2016, but their father Daniel was their coach. Daniel competed at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

The first woman to represent was Kitty Chiller at Sydney 2000, when the women’s event was added to the program.

Peter Macken is not only Australia’s best placed male, with an incredible fourth at Tokyo in 1964, he is one of only a handful of Australians to have competed at five or more Olympic Games. Macken represented from Rome 1960 to Montreal 1976, and at Mexico 1968 he also competed in fencing.

Remarkably Neville Sayers and Duncan Page have achieved the same rare feat as Macken. Sayers competed at Melbourne 1956 and Rome 1960 where he also competed in shooting. Page made his Olympic debut at Tokyo 1964 in fencing and four years later in Mexico City he competed in fencing and modern pentathlon.

Since 1952 and through 2016 Australia has had a representative in every Games. We look forward to the impressive tradition continuing in Tokyo 2020.

1912

Modern Pentathlon’s Olympic debut – Stockholm, Sweden

Modern Pentathlon Introduced to the Olympics. It was De Coubertin’s belief that it would be this event, above all others, that “tested a man’s moral qualities as much as his physical resources and skills, producing thereby the ideal, complete athlete”

1952

Helsinki, Finland

Forbes Carlisle – 25th

1956

Melbourne, Australia

Neville Sayers – 19th

Sven Coomer – 32nd

George (Terry) Nicoll – 35th 

Team Event – 8th

1960

Rome, Italy

Neville Sayers – 31st

Hugh Doherty – 34th

Peter Macken – 46th

Anthony Hammett

Team Event – 14th

1964

Tokyo, Japan

Peter Macken – 4th

Don McMiken – 18th 

Duncan Page – 27th 

Lloyd Mitchelson

Team Event – 5th

1968

Mexico City, Mexico

Peter Macken – 31st

Duncan Page – 39th

Don McMiken – 42nd

Lloyd Mitchelson

Team Event – 12th

1972

Munich, West Germany

Bob Barrie – 32nd

Peter Macken – 41st

1976

Montreal, Canada

Peter Ridgeway – 42nd

Peter Macken – 44th

1980

Moscow, USSR

Bob Barrie – 37th

1984

Los Angeles, USA

Alex Watson – 15th

Matthew Spies – 31st

Daniel Esposito – 50th

1988

Seoul, South Korea

Alex Watson – Disqualified

1992

Barcelona, Spain

Gavin Lackey – 30th

Colin Hamilton – 58th

Alex Watson – 63rd

Team Event – 16th

1996

Atlanta, USA

Alex Johnson – 32nd

2000

Sydney, Australia

Kitty Chiller – 14th (Australia’s first female Olympian)

Rob McGregor – 20th

2004

Athens, Greece

Eszter Hortobagyi – 20th

Alexander Parygin – 27th

Beijing 2008 logo

2008

Beijing, China

Angie Darby – 35th

2012

London, United Kingdom

Chloe Esposito – 7th (Australia’s best women’s Olympic result)

Ed Fernon – 27th

2016

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Chloe Esposito – Gold

Australia’s first Olympic champion and medallist in this sport at just 24 in Rio. She also set an Olympic Record! And her younger brother Max was also exceptional. Both following their father and coach Daniel who competed at Los Angeles 1984.

Max Esposito – 7th

Tokyo 2020 emblem

2020

Tokyo, Japan

Marina Carrier – 27th

Ed Fernon – 31st