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 –

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

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

2020
Tokyo, Japan
Marina Carrier – 27th
Ed Fernon – 31st