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? Charley Hughlett Jersey . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Ozzie Newsome Jersey . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. http://www.cheapbrownsjerseysonline.com/ .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. Cheap Football Browns Jerseys . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. Jarvis Landry Jersey . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. ZAGREB, Croatia -- Juan Martin del Potro again played a leading role as Argentina continued its attempt to win its first Davis Cup, but on Saturday, his presence alone was not enough. Del Potro and doubles partner Leo Mayer lost 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), 6-3 against Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig, leaving Croatia one victory away from the title.But Del Potro did not seem frustrated. So far, everything happened the way it was supposed to, he said. Everything could have been worse; lets not forget we will be alive on a Sunday of a Davis Cup final. It will be the fifth time Argentina has reached the final day, and Delpo was present for the last two (2008, 2011).The doubles match was a close encounter -- there were few service breaks and two tiebreakers. Cilic and Dodig made the difference in those two deciding moments to prevail in 2 hours, 42 minutes.?They were better today and remain favorites, but weve got to remain calm and give our best, said Delpo, who will face Cilic in reverse singles Sunday.Del Potro and Cilic are both US Open winners and were among the top entertainers on the ATP Tour in 2016. The Argentine is the last player to beat world No. 1 Andy Murray this season, in a Davis Cup semifinal clash, but prefers to focus on how much things changed for him and his team since the beginning of the year.[Cilic] wont have soo much pressure since they lead 2-1, Del Potro said.dddddddddddd They deserve to win the tournament after eliminating the US away and defeating France, but we made it really far after playing the whole year away from home. As for me, most of what I saw of Cilic this year was on TV.Del Potro made an incredible comeback this year after undergoing wrist surgery for the third time. He won silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics and was key in securing a place in the Davis Cup final with the win over Murray.It will be super-tough for me, but I am confident we will all give our best, Delpo said.Cilic does not completely agree. I think we are both in the same position. Davis Cup series are always physically challenging, with long matches in which the mental part plays a key role, and I am ready to face the challenge.If Cilic wins Sunday, Croatia will secure its second Davis Cup after last winning the tournament in 2005. But if Del Potro evens the series, it will force a fifth match between Ivo Karlovic and likely Federico Delbonis, who forced Cilic to five sets in Fridays opener.Plenty will be at stake Sunday, as Team Argentina carries the hope of a nation looking forward to ending a very long drought. 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