With Brazil’s Thiago Braz suspended from competition due to doping, the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association assured that world No. 2 pole vaulter EJ Obiena won’t suffer the same fate.
PATAFA secretary general Edward Kho told Daily Tribune said Obiena, 27, and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics champion only see each other in training and in competitions and even told other national athletes to check on their supplements thru legitimate websites if they are tested.
Braz was suspended after ostarine, a performance-enhancing drug, was detected in his urine sample.
“To my knowledge, they get to meet only in training. They occasionally meet but they don’t share the same room,” Kho said Daily Tribune in a phone conversation.
“We had to constantly remind them to constantly check on legitimate online apps the products they take are tested,” he added.
Obiena, the first Filipino to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, is preparing for the World Athletics Championships in Budapest from 19 to 27 August.