EJ Obiena’s triumph in the 2023 World Athletics Championships didn’t come easy as it took him years of hard work and exposure to the toughest competitions in the world.
Philippine Track and Field Athletics Association secretary general Edward Kho told Daily Tribune that Obiena is now comfortable challenging the likes of Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis of Sweden and Christopher Nielsen of the United States in high level tournaments in Europe.
While Obiena still remains a bridesmaid to Duplantis, Kho said it’s still a good spot as it gives him a clear perspective of the things he needs to work on.
“The overall perception is that this is his new comfort zone. We now know that his hitting six meters is no fluke, especially in this tense environment,” said Kho, who was at the sidelines when Obiena logged 6.0 meters to bag the silver medal behind Duplantis’ performance of 6.10m in the World Championships in Budapest over the weekend.
“He’s comfortable now with the idea that he is competing with top-class pole vaulters. There’s an incremental increase in his conduct as an athlete but since he’s already at that high performance, this wouldn’t necessarily give him change. Getting this silver medal would give him an appreciation in the overall scheme of things.”
With Obiena already booking a spot in the Paris Olympics after hitting the qualifying mark of 5.82m last July, he still has a lot more competitions to join before the Summer Games start.
Obiena will be in Switzerland for the Zurich Diamond League, where he will meet Nilsen and Duplantis again on 31 July.
He will also vie in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from 23 September to 8 October where the third-best pole vaulter in the world is poised to break the 5.70m meet record of Japan’s Seito Yamamoto.
Obiena thanked his supporters who trooped to the National Athletics Centre in Budapest to rally behind him, especially after contracting Covid-19 two weeks before the competition.
“Thank you very much to everyone who screamed here in Budapest and made it feel like home, especially today at the awarding ceremony. Maraming salamat po. You guys made this as sweet as it is,” Obiena said.
“A mere two weeks ago, the thorns got to me. I was sick with Covid, I lost almost two weeks of heavy training, and I started to question why I got the thorns. I filmed this video when I was in the depths of pain.”
“Thankfully, I snapped out of it. I refused to be the victim. I accepted the rose, thorns and all! And decided to take matters into my own hands.”
