Cedric Dubler

Fast Facts 

Sport: Athletics 
Event: Decathlon 
Olympic History:  Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020
Coach:  Chris Gaviglio
Year Born: 1995 
State Born: Brisbane, Qld 

About Cedric

Cedric Dubler was a kid who was always outside, whether it was riding up and down the street on his bike or flipping about on his skateboards and scooters.

He was good at basketball, into volleyball but also couldn't decide if soccer was his game. He was a restless kid for whom one sport was never enough.

At Little Athletics, he did it all and was into cross-country. Initially, he competed in the 800m, long jump and sprints, then, he coach Eric Brown to train for pole vault and Brown realised he had a decathlete on his hands.

Aged 17, Dubler placed an amazing fourth at the 2012 World U20 Championships and two years later won silver. He was Australia’s finest ever junior decathlete until his training partner Ash Moloney came along and broke his records. 

In 2016, Dubler qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics, the first Australian since Sydney 2000 to compete at the Games and moved up to number three Australian all-time with his score of 8114 points. 

On limited preparation in 2017, he defended his national title and placed 18th at the 2017 IAAF World Championships.  

He prepared meticulously for a shot at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in his own backyard.

Over the 2017/18 summer, he made improvements in the 110m hurdles, discus and pole vault. At the National Championships and Commonwealth Games trials he achieved PBs in the 100m, shot, 110m hurdles, pole vault, javelin and 1500m.

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games trials, he was magnificent, tallying a PB score of 8229, the best score by an Aussie for 20 years. Unfortunately, he injured his elbow after the trials, putting his participation in doubt, but he rallied for the Games, took his place and managed to compete achieving a score of 7983. He was well rewarded with bronze. 

Dubler had a stellar 2019, scoring over 8000 points in three competitions including placing 11th at the World Championships – the highest ever by an Australian. He won the 2020 National title before COVID closed down the year. 

In the summer of 2020/21 Cedric Dubler was in the form of his life. In December 2020 at the Queensland Championships he scoring 8367 points in the decathlon, a 138-point PB and an Olympic qualifier. It elevated him to number three in Australian history and was his eighth score over 8000 points – now the most consistent Australian decathlete ever. But his Tokyo Olympic preparation fell apart when he tore a hamstring two weeks before the Games. There was doubt he would get to the start line let alone finish the gruelling two-day competition. He battled through the event in Tokyo, even setting a shot put PB, but he no heighted in the pole vault, eventually placing 21st with a score of 7008 points.

During the last event on the program, the 1500m, he encouraged training partner Ash Moloney, who was locked in a battle for a podium finish. Cedric knew the margin Ash needed to finish behind American Garrett Scantling to take bronze and sensing it was tight, Cedric increased his support for Ash shouting for him to get moving. It worked as Ash won a historic bronze medal and marked his own selflessness act down as one of the memorable moments of the Games.

His inspiring act has coined a new Aussie phrase, #DoingADubler, now added to the Australian vernacular. 

In 2022 Cedric was awarded the AOC’s inaugural Cecil Healy Award for Outstanding Sportsmanship. It was presented to him by IOC President Thomas Bach.

Dubler’s 2022 campaign was his best to date. He won his fifth National decathlon title in a PB score of 8393 points. At the world championships he placed eight and 10 days later won a second consecutive bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games.

In 2023 at the world championships, he unfortunately withdrew after the high jump with a back issue. Cedric Dubler is Australia’s most prolific Australian decathlete with the most, 12, scores over 8000 and 7 of the top-20 scores.