MOD PENT: Chloe Esposito has confirmed herself as one of the most consistent and talented modern pentathletes with an eighth place finish at the World Championships in Berlin.
After two years battling injuries since the London Olympics, where she was seventh, the 23-year-old was in fantastic form in Germany to top of an outstanding season.
In the sport were the top finishers can change from week to week, Esposito has not been outside the top-eight in two World Cups, the Asian Championships and now the World Championships.
At the World Cup final in Minsk, Belarus last month she made her breakthrough with a bronze medal. At the World Championships she was in the same great form.
She was 9th after the Fencing, Swimming and Jumping in Berlin, similar to Minsk, however it wasn’t her day to move further up the leaderboard than eighth.
Unfortunately her brother Max was also in great form but with terrible luck his target did not register in qualification and he missed the final.
The focus of the season for Chloe and Max was to win the Oceania quota place and earn selection for the Rio Olympic Games. That happened at the selection event and they have both proved they can back up event after event and their potential for the Olympic Games is exciting.
The fact it is siblings who were the first athletes selected for the 2016 Australian Olympic Team is very exciting. A point not lost on Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller who represented Australia at the Sydney Olympics.
"I could not be prouder of Max and Chloe. They have produced outstanding results at every event they have entered this season,” Chiller, who is also the President of Modern Pentathlon Australia, said.
“They epitomise the hallmark of an Australian Olympian - tough but respectful. The way they go about their sport is an honour to watch and they certainly deserve all the success they are getting."
Max has gone from being a Youth Olympian in 2014 with no Jumping component to matching it with the senior men and moving his Tokyo 2020 dream to a 2016 Olympic reality.
Not only are the father and mother of Chloe and Max extremely proud of their children’s achievements this season they have been there every step of the way for years.
"Credit must also go to their father Daniel, a 1984 Olympian in pentathlon, who, along with wife Suzanne, gave up their swim school business in Casula to move to Europe to give their children every chance of success," Chiller said.
Amazingly their third child Emily competed in shooting at the 2010 Youth Olympics and is also chasing selection for the 2016 Australian Olympic Team.
Chloe and Max will return to Australia on Tuesday night and attend a press conference in Sydney on Wednesday. It will be the first time in 18 months that Max has been home, since the whole family moved to Italy and then Budapest, Hungary to train/compete.
Chloe couldn't rest after her individual 8th place in Berlin. She also competed in the mixed relay on Sunday with London team mate Ed Fernon. Fernon missed out on qualifying for Rio Team at the Beijing qualifier and this World Championships could be his last international event. He failed to reach the final in the individual earlier in the week. He has done a great job representing Australia over the years and has been very keen to compete in a mixed relay with Chloe.
Andrew Reid
Olympics.com.au
