Rio de Janeiro: Chloe Esposito couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she turned into the last straight, the finishing tape having been urgently assembled at Deodoro Stadium after four laps of pure guts and poise.
In the moments afterwards the 24-year-old could not contain her overwhelming joy, in tears as she embraced her father and coach Daniel, himself an Olympian in 1984.
A 16-second win in the closing leg of the women's modern pentathlon completed an Olympic record total points score of 1372, with Esposito claiming the gold medal thanks to a stunning burst in the 3200 metre run and demonstration of pistol shooting.
She had entered the last leg of the classic Olympic sport, following the fencing, swimming and horse-riding components, in seventh place overall and having to give the frontrunner, Oktawia Nowacka of Poland, a 45-second head start.
From the outset, however, she reeled in rival after rival and by her arrival at the shooting range for the fourth and final time she was behind only the Pole.
She nailed the requisite five shots as Nowacka and Frenchwoman Elodie Clouvel, the eventual silver medallist, remained with pistols in hand and from there wouldn't be challenged.
"I knew I'd come out first but I didn't look at the other girls' targets because that is one thing I try to do," Esposito said.
"I wasn't sure how many shots they had or still needed to go so I thought 'they're probably going to be right behind me'. But then I was running and I could hear the person over the microphone and they weren't saying they were leaving [the shooting station] yet and I was running and running. Finally, I heard that they had left the shooting range and I turned back and saw that it was quite a big distance and I know that I can run and I knew they wouldn't catch me."
The medal is Australia's first ever in modern pentathlon and comes after she and her father as well as her younger brother Max, who will make his Olympic debut in the men's event on the weekend, moved to Hungary three years ago, principally to improve her fencing.
Australia's chef de mission in Rio, Kitty Chiller, was also visibly emotional as she watched the triumph from the grandstand. Chiller is a former modern pentathlete who finished 14th in Sydney in 2000 and has been a major supporter of the Espositos.
Esposito, who was seventh four years ago in London, had believed she was a gold medal contender. She is a strong runner but it was arguably her shooting that got her over the line. She only missed one of 21 targets over the four laps.
"I know my combined is my strongest event but I didn't want to think about that... think about medals or anything," she said.
"Especially in the last shooting series I thought 'don't think this is the last one, think I've got another shooting series after' and I just couldn't believe just everything came together. I knew there was going to be a day where everything came together and I'm so thankful that it was today. I just can't believe it.
The riding portion of the event, with its random draw of horses for the athletes to ride, was dramatic and saw the defending Olympic champion, Laura Asadauskaite of Lithuania, and Germany's world champion Lena Schoneborn eliminated.
There were groans across the venue as the Hungarian Zsofia Foldhazi was thrown by her mount and then dragged by the reins, and it was difficult not to turn your head away when Cuba's Laura Moya Leydi was tossed forcefully into a fence, left sobbing and stretchered onto a medicab. Thankfully the brick pattern painted onto the side of the fence was not the real thing. Esposito, originally from Sydney, was the 30th of 36 competitors to take to the showjumping course and the horse selected for her, Equador Itapua, was fortunately more cooperative.
"I didn't watch any of the other girls because I just didn't want to think who is knocking jumps down or who is falling off," she said.
"I get so nervous for the horse riding just because you're on a horse and it's got a mind of its own. Anything can happen. But I watched the Japanese girl who rode the horse that I rode and she went a clear round. Once the riding was done I was like 'thank goodness that that's over.
"I can't describe it. It's just the best feeling ever. All my hard work has finally paid off."
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