Cedric Dubler was five years old the last time a male decathlete represented Australia at the Olympics.
Now, 16 years after Scott Ferrier competed at the Sydney 2000 Games, Dubler is set to wear the green and gold in Rio.
The 21-year-old Queenslander was a surprise qualifier at his first senior national athletics championships in Sydney on Friday night.
Dubler won with a total 8114 points - 14 more than he needed - to place him third on Australia's all-time list, behind only Jagan Hames (8490) and Ferrier (8307), the gold and silver medallists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games.
It's an extraordinary rise for the virtual unknown who claimed a silver medal at the 2014 world juniors in Eugene before spending all of last year recovering from injuries.
"It's a dream come true," an elated Dubler said.
"It's been a goal since I started athletics to make an Olympics."
That goal was born six years ago when Dubler was picked up by coach Eric Brown, the man who guided Jason Dudley to the 2006 Commonwealth Games bronze medal - the last time the distinguished 8000-point barrier was broken.
Having already dabbled in various disciplines, a teenage Dubler was introduced to pole vault.
Brown soon realised he had a decathlete on his hands - perhaps his best ever.
Dubler proved him right via six personal bests across his 10 disciplines on Thursday and Friday - the 100m, high jump, 400m, 110m hurdles, discus and pole vault.
On Friday night he needed only to run the 1500m faster than 4 minutes 58 seconds to secure his required points and golden ticket to Brazil.
Cramping in his legs and struggling with stomach issues, Dubler cut it fine, crossing the line in 4:55.71.
"I saw the clock and thought I was cutting it a bit close, but down the home straight, I knew I was going to do it," said Australian-born Dubler, one of three siblings to a Swiss father and Belgian mother.
"The day before the competition I didn't really feel like I was quite up to it," he said.
"The task ahead just looked so big I wasn't sure if it was possible.
"But once we started getting the results rolling over, it became more and more realistic."
Earlier on Friday, Olympic long jump medal prospects Fabrice Lapierre and Brooke Stratton needed just one leap each to progress to Sunday's finals.
Alex Hartmann equalled his personal best of 10.29 to place top of the men's 100m heats, with former Stawell Gift winner Aaron Stubbs qualifying second (10.31) and teenage sprint star Jack Hale equal fourth (10.38).
All are still searching for an Olympic-qualifying time in that event, as is women's national 100m record-holder Melissa Breen, who qualified first with a heat time of 11.51.
Discus-thrower Dani Samuels comfortably won her preliminary round with a 64.91m throw - her 10th of Olympic qualifying standard.
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