Chloe Esposito has a million-dollar smile that outshines even the gold medal she won at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro; a medal that, incidentally, cost her country less than any other Australian gold won in Brazil.The much maligned Winning Edge program, set up after the 2012 Olympic Games in London, pumped funding into sports deemed most likely to garner a gold rush in Rio. It missed a trick with Esposito, whose sport of Modern Pentathlon was viewed as too niche for investment.Which begs the question: If golden glory is the holy grail of sports funding, shouldnt there be some allowance for individual achievement in less fashionable disciplines?Gold medals from the Rio games are 85mm in diameter and weigh 500 gram; they are 92 percent silver with just 6g of actual gold and the rest a copper filler; they are worth in real market terms about $Aus260 for the gold component, and maybe $Aus500-700 for the whole disc combined.To hold one in your hand, though, fills you with wonderment. You can literally feel the hours of training, the sacrifices made, the tears and the joy that went into claiming it.There are a few scratches on Chloe Espositos medal; its been handled by many people -- all keen to bask, if just for a few seconds, in the golden glow that engulfed the modern pentathlete on Aug. 20, 2016. And some of those scratches, perhaps, best reflect the journey of the effervescent young woman who became the first modern pentathlon competitor from outside Europe to stand atop the Olympic podium in 100 years.There is no denying Modern Pentathlon is a niche sport; in fact its five sports, and participation does not come cheaply. Funding is scarce. Chloes father, Daniel, who is also her coach and an Olympian in his own right, estimates keeping Chloe and her brother and fellow Rio Olympian Max at a competitive level, costs around $Aus500,000 per year.The majority of that money has to come out of the Esposito pockets.There is no elite training base for modern pentathletes in Australia. When ESPN asks Esposito where the headquarters in Australia are, her fiancé jokingly chips in with her home address; ironically its probably true.Daniel Esposito, who walks a tightrope between his professional role and just being dad, is an expert in his field having competed at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He knows what it takes to beat the world, and that means seeking out training environments that regularly pit you against the best competitors on the planet.?For the Espositos, that meant a move to Italy, then Hungary, in their quest to give their talented children the opportunity to fulfill their potential.For mum, Suzanne, the balance has been equally challenging as she juggles the responsibilities of the familys swimming school back home in Sydney while supporting a family all over the globe. That family also includes daughter Emily, a talented shooter who was based in Melbourne at the time, finessing a successful sporting career between two jobs and a university degree in Speech Therapy as well as qualification tournaments held in far flung countries such as Azerbaijan.Despite the lions share of the responsibility falling on the shoulders of the family, the Espositos have an influential champion in their corner. Australias 2016 Chef de Mission, Kitty Chiller, is an Olympian in modern pentathlon (Sydney 2000), and her delight in Chloe and Maxs success in Rio was palpable among myriad other issues her role demanded of her.Not just a former competitor, Chiller is President of Modern Pentathlon Australia, and her intensive lobbying for the sport saw some much needed funding go to the Esposito quest for excellence.Reports list the investment in modern pentathlon for this most recent Olympic cycle at around $Aus190,000, compared with the cost of the bronze medal in Archery at just over $Aus2.6 million, and that of swimming ($Aus4 million per medal) and cycling ($Aus16.3 million per medal). One can quite confidently assume that Kitty Chiller will be advocating strongly that modern pentathlon is worth a whole lot more in dollar value over the next four years.You dont need to be a genius to see that, statistically, the Winning Edge program has a greater likelihood of return on investment in sports with a larger number of participants, ergo possible champions. However, with medals in Tokyo 2020 the next target, is there room to think outside the box?Max Esposito finished seventh at the Rio Olympic Games, the same place sister Chloe finished in London on her debut. He also started the final stage with a 45-second handicap -- exactly the same as his gold medal-winning sister -- and he finished just 6 seconds from a bronze medal.Max Esposito may have played a crucial role as training partner for his sister in the past, but the individual achievements of the 19 year-old have not gone unnoticed.The portents are all there: Max Esposito was the youngest competitor in the mens modern pentathlon field in Rio, he has years of competition ahead of him, and his older sister has proved there might be gold in them thar hills.In four years time, could there be two Espositos on the podium for modern pentathlon?Surely a little lateral thinking could see an opportunity here.How about a Wild Card system? A funding pool that sits separately within the Winning Edge Program to be allocated to an individual or individuals with proven potential to win Olympic medals, world titles, and so on?A selection committee could interview eligible applicants who do not qualify under the usual scheme. The relevant sporting body could present their unique situation, and funding could be awarded on a case-by-case basis offering an athlete with a good chance of a podium finish in a more obscure sport, such as modern pentathlon, a one-off chance for support through a single Olympic cycle.This would both reward the athlete for their achievements and alleviate financial pressure on those who excel in sports that are not beneficiaries of investment on a large scale, while absolving the ASC/AIS of the responsibility of overexposing themselves for the long term in areas that could generate a public backlash.When modern pentathlon was introduced to the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912, it was founder of the Modern Olympics Baron Pierre de Coubertins belief that it would be this event, above all others, that tested a mans moral qualities as much as his physical resources and skills, producing thereby the ideal, complete athlete.Im sure in current times he would have agreed a woman was equally capable.The true value of an Olympic gold medal can in no way be measured by the market price of the metal from which it is made. The worth most certainly lies in the value of the neck it is placed around at an Olympiad.And Chloe Espositos medal definitely found a home around the neck of a rare jewel -- an unaffected, delightful embodiment of the spirit of Olympic competition.That has to be worth something? Cheap Mavericks Jerseys China . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. DeAndre Jordan Jersey .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. http://www.cheapmavericksjerseys.com/ .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Cheap Swingman Mavericks Jerseys . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. Luka Doncic Jersey ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. ATLANTA -- Manager Don Mattingly says newly acquired closer Fernando Rodney will work primarily as a setup man for A.J. Ramos in the Miami Marlins bullpen.Rodney, 39, joined his new team on Friday, a day after San Diego traded him for a minor league pitcher. The Marlins view Rodney as adding strength to an already solid group of relievers.Mattingly will occasionally give him a chance to close, but the job still belongs to Ramos.Talking with him, he was great in giving him our reasoning, Mattingly said. Like I told him, if he was the guy here and had not blown one, I would do the same thing for him. I think he totally understands.Rodneys 253 career saves rank fifth among active pitchers. He has converted all 17 of his chances this year, and his 0.31 ERA leads the majors among qualifying relievers.Rodney was all smiles as he spoke with reporters before Fridays game against the Atlanta Braves. He playfully seemed more concerned about having to conform to Mattinglys rule banning facial hair and shave his beard.He was still holding out hope it wont have to go.If thats the rule they have here, I like to play baseball and have fun, Rodney said. Im not worried about shaving. I want to have fun with my teammates, play good, play hard. Thats it.Ramos has been Miamis closer since May 2015. His 24 saves rank second in the majors this season, and he has converted 33 straight chances since last September.With A.J. and what hes been able to do -- hes been perfect -- it would be hard for me to ttake that out of our mix, Mattingly said.dddddddddddd. Our back end has been good. Fernando makes us better.Mattingly told Rodney that he will get some chances to close when Ramos has worked consecutive days.Fernando has a track record obviously of being a big-time guy, Mattingly said. Hes been there, done that.David Phelps will now primarily work the seventh inning and Kyle Barraclough the sixth inning.Mattingly indicated that Ramos, Phelps and Barraclough welcomed the news of Rodneys addition.I think these guys, for the most part, like knowing when theyre going to pitch and in what situations, Mattingly said. We cant always give them exactly when every time, but I think they like to know when the phone rings, whos getting up for the most part.The Marlins are Rodneys seventh team and sixth since 2011, but Mattingly believes he will fit in easily.All the people we talked to love this guy, Mattingly said. As a teammate on and off the field, he wants to win. Totally professional. Im excited about having this guy. I think hes going to help our club.Though Mattingly said the beard is coming off, the Marlins will let Rodney keep wearing his cap cocked sideways. The arrow, a celebratory stance he uses after earning a save, is another Rodney staple that stays.Im going to save the arrow for now, Rodney said. If you have a chance, youre going to see a landing. ' ' '
