Surpassing the six-meter mark serves as a good morale-booster for EJ Obiena as he shoots for a slot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association secretary general Edward Kho told Daily Tribune that Obiena definitely gained more confidence after breaking the Asian record with a 6.0-meter performance in the Sparebanken Vest Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway over the weekend.
His latest feat didn’t only give him a gold medal but also made him the 26th pole vaulter in the world to surpass the six-meter barrier since Sergey Bubka did the trick in 1985.
Interestingly, Bubka’s coach in Vitaly Petrov of Ukraine also guided Obiena in shattering the six-meter barrier.
“One, it was a great confidence-builder for him for his other pursuits. We’re talking like 15 to 20-centimeter difference here so it’s a big buffer for him to get that confidence boost further for his Olympic qualification quest,” Kho said in a telephone conversation.
“It’s a good opening salvo for him.”
The 27-year-old Obiena, the No. 3 vaulter in the world, has one more competition this month — the Oslo Bislett Games in Oslo this Thursday and he is hoping to carry the momentum he gained from the Bergen meet.
The qualifying standard is set at 5.82 meters and Obiena has from July to 30 June next year to hit that mark to make it to the Summer Games in Paris.
His first attempt to hit the Olympic mark would be in the Asian Athletics Championships in Pattaya, Thailand from 12 to 16 July.
He will be competing in the Asian Championships oozing with confidence as he holds the tournament record of 5.71 meters.
Kho said he is excited to see what’s in store for Obiena as he is also slated to compete in the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary this August and the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China this September.
“He’s not peaking yet because from what I know from their preparations, he is focused on the Asian Championships,” Kho said.
“If he is using the Asian Championships as a prelude to his peaking, the six-meter jump is just the foot of the mountain for EJ.”
