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Rio 2016: Chloe Esposito wins gold for Australia in women's modern pentathlon.

Chloe Esposito has clinched gold for Australia by taking out the women’s modern pentathlon in a thrilling finale.

Esposito was in seventh place overall going into the final stage of competition – the combined 3,200m run and pistol shooting – but worked her way to the lead and won with an Olympic record of 1,372 points.

Elodie Clouvel of France won silver with 1,356 points and bronze went to Poland’s Oktawia Nowacka with 1,349.

Esposito swam a time of 2:12:38 in the swimming heats. She beat USA’s Margaux Isaksen in her first fencing bout but lost to Ireland’s Natalya Coyle in her second bout.

In the showjumping she accrued 284 points.

It is Australia’s first medal in the five-discipline event that is usually dominated by European countries, and Australia’s eighth gold medal of the Rio 2016 Olympics.

“I still can’t believe it. First person ever in Australia to win a medal in pentathlon, and I can’t describe it,” Esposito said.

“I was just thinking of all the hard training I’ve put in the past four years. It’s been a tough road and especially this year, I had a few injuries.”

She told Channel Seven: “I knew one day it will all gel and today was the day and it’s the Olympic Games and I couldn’t be more proud.”

*Feature image via Getty.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.

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