Cedric Dubler Wins Inaugural Cecil Healy Award For Outstanding Sportsmanship

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has announced that decathlete Cedric Dubler is the winner of the inaugural Cecil Healy Award for Outstanding Sportsmanship displayed at an Olympic Games.

The 27-year-old Queenslander was acknowledged for his efforts at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games when he sacrificed his own ambitions to assist and encourage teammate Ash Moloney in the closing stages of the 1500 metres, the final event of the decathlon.

With Dubler urging him on, Moloney pushed through to claim the bronze medal and a piece of Olympic history.

AOC Chief Executive Officer Matt Carroll says Dubler’s outstanding sportsmanship provided one of the special moments of the Olympic Games.

“Cecil Healy would have approved. In the closing stages, Cedric had no other thought, other than the possibility for his teammate winning an Olympic medal. He could have easily chosen to improve his own standing in the event, but he made another choice and it was a noble one.

“Ash Moloney produced an amazing performance in Tokyo to win bronze and he is a young man with an enormous future in Olympic sport. He showed enormous heart and courage to achieve that moment.

“Cedric is honoured for his selfless actions to assist his younger teammate.”

Cedric Dubler says the award has come as a shock.

“I am absolutely honoured and really quite amazed that something that happened in the moment can result in this type of recognition.

"We don’t compete at the Olympic Games thinking about these moments. Every athlete just wants to do their best and performance is the focus.

“The camaraderie amongst Decathletes is something very special, but I also felt a really strong bond within our Australian Team in Tokyo.

“The bronze medal that Ash won was the product of his absolute commitment to the goals he set for himself. He created history that day, winning Australia’s first Olympic medal in our sport.

“Being such a young athlete, I'm excited to see how he develops and progresses over the next few years!

“We are all so proud of what he has achieved for our sport. It was such an amazing competition to be part of and to witness first hand.

"I am still stunned that my spontaneous decision to urge him on struck such a chord around the world. I definitely can't compare my actions with those of Cecil Healy, but I am immensely proud to be the first Australian to win this award, named in his honour,” Mr Dubler concluded.

This is the first time the Cecil Healy Award has been bestowed. It was created in August 2018 to acknowledge 100 years since the death of Cecil Healy, the only Australian Olympic gold medal winner to be killed in action during World War One.

In Stockholm in 1912, Healy shared gold with other members of the 4 x 200m Australasian relay team - which defeated a US team led by the legendary Hawaiian Duke Kahanomoku, but it was his act of sportsmanship which cost him an individual gold which is most remembered.

Cecil Healy denied himself a certain gold medal by insisting the race favourite Duke Kahanamoku be allowed to compete in the 100 metres freestyle final despite the American champion missing his semi-final due to an apparent mix up.

Healy felt that without the American in the final, any gold medal that he won would be tarnished. Healy’s stance led to officials holding a special semi-final, which included the American, who went on to win the final with Cecil Healy picking up the silver.

After the race, Duke Kahanamoku went across to Cecil Healy and held his arm in the air. Two champions, not one.

Mr Carroll says good sportsmanship is expected of all Olympians, but the AOC will consider an outstanding act for the Cecil Healy Award.

“Cedric Dubler was nominated by Athletics Australia. A Panel consisting of AOC President John Coates, Chef de Mission and AOC Vice President Ian Chesterman and AOC Vice President Helen Brownlee had no hesitation concluding Cedric’s act went above and beyond the normal expectations of good sportsmanship by an Australian athlete. We congratulate him, we thank him,” Mr Carroll concluded.

Cedric Dubler will be formally honoured with the presentation of a special medal at the AOC Annual General Meeting on Saturday 30 April, 2022.

By the Australian Olympic Committee
Posted: 15/03/2022