CEDRIC’S GOAL IS 1O TIMES AS HARD
MOST Commonwealth Games athletes are focused on the one event that may change their lives. Then there’s Cedric Dubler and his fellow decathletes, who spread their talents across 10 track and field disciplines in their quest to find the ultimate warrior. D
THERE’S a quote that takes pride of place on the home page of Cedric Dubler’s personal website – “I always wanted to be a sportsperson. I just never knew which one.”
At least that was until he saw a flamehaired Aussie boy soar at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“I was in Year 8 when I watched Steve Hooker win gold in the pole vault,” recalled the 22-year-old who became Australia’s first Olympic decathlete in 16 years at Rio 2016 and has the chance to cement himself as a household name at the Commonwealth Games.
“I told Mum ‘I want to do that’ and she said ‘Absolutely no way’, but after some convincing she let me start training.
“I was only 13 and about two years later my coach had to stop training me because of his work commitments and that’s when I landed with Eric Brown.
“Eric ended up turning to me and saying ‘Come try decathlon’. He knew I had a good background from Little Athletics, which meant I could hurdle, pole vault, high jump. I had no idea what a decathlon was but I thought I’d try one and ended up doing well.
“It was pure luck that I found decathlon and my open-mindedness to try something new eventually led to me realising my lifelong dream of competing at the Olympics.”
Games boss Mark Peters will love that story.
For years he has been talking up what having a Commonwealth Games in their backyard will mean for the youth of the Gold Coast, how seeing the world’s best athletes strut their stuff at Coomera, Carrara and Coolangatta may plant the seed for a lifetime of healthy and active living.
And in Brisbane boy Dubler, who finished an impressive 14th at his maiden Olympics, Peters has not only the ultimate example of that process but a young man ready and willing to inspire others.
“Doing this interview isn’t a hassle for me,” he said. “I’m always trying to inspire young people, spread a positive message and be a role model.”
For proof of that, look no further than his aforementioned website and its associated social media feeds.
Befitting his youthful vibe, Dubler has taken a Gen Y approach to engaging with his fan base – aka Team GoCedric – via popular video blogs that provide an insight into not only his training and competitions but his most traditional of disciplines.
“It’s a mentally and physically drain-
BY THE END I’M COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED BUT THAT’S WHAT MAKES DECATHLON THE CHALLENGE IT IS CEDRIC DUBLER
ing two days,” he said of completing a decathlon, where points are awarded across 10 track and field events including running, jumps and throws.
“Each event is 100 per cent. You’re switched on, ready to go, but also have to switch the mind off and try to chill out for a little bit between events. For two days you’re constantly switching on, switching off and giving each event 100 per cent.
“By the end I’m completely exhausted but that’s what makes decathlon the challenge it is.”
With a leaner frame than many decathletes, Dubler also has the challenge of where to invest his valuable time when training for an event that is actually made up of 10 events.
“It can be confusing at times,” he said. “I’m not as big and bulky as a lot of decathletes so my throws do lack a little … but sometimes focusing on weaknesses isn’t always the best use of your training time because your strengths can actually get you more points.
“You always need to reflect after each couple of weeks, months or even years where you need to direct your focus and time because there are limited hours in the week and a million things we can do to improve.”
And with only three months until he strides on to one of his sport’s biggest stages, every second counts more than ever.