Ernest John Obiena knew that his preparation isn’t enough to land him a medal in the men’s pole vault event of the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships at the Commonwealth Arena last Monday.
In an online news briefing on Tuesday, the second-bets pole vaulter in the world admitted that his lack of exposure in indoor competitions derailed his chances of finishing on top of the biggest and most prestigious indoor event in the world.
After back-to-back gold medals in Croatia and Germany, the 28-year-old Obiena had a forgettable performance, finishing ninth with 5.65 meters in a 12-man field dominated by world record-holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden.
Duplantis failed to set another world record, but he finished with 6.05 meters to claim the gold medal while Sam Kendricks of the United States and Emmanouil Karalis of Greece took home the silver and bronze medals with 5.90 and 5.85 meters, respectively.
Obiena admitted that things didn’t go according to plan.
“Things didn’t go the way I wanted it to be. The fact of the matter is entering the indoor season, it’s going to be risky. I’ve been a consistent 5.80 meters and it just didn’t pan out,” Obiena said during the press conference organized by VISA.
“We’ve been hitting the marks that we should. Unfortunately, the human side of me showed up two days ago. I was not able to showcase what I believe I could.”
But prior to the even, Obiena already had a feeling that things will turn sour.
But prior to the event, Obiena already had an idea of the tough road ahead.
In a radio interview a couple of days before the tournament, the Filipino superstar admitted that he had very limited exposure in indoor tournaments so that his preparation for the Summer Games will not be hampered.
“We didn’t fully unload. We knew that there was going to be a World Athletics Indoor Championships but I needed to choose between the two,” Obiena said over the weekend.
“I would not say that I am fully preparing for this. I’m preparing for Paris. This is almost just a build-up.”
Obiena is set to return to his training camp in Italy to start his preparation for the outdoor season and intensify his buildup for the Paris Olympics.
After all, he is determined to win a medal in the Summer Games after a very successful year highlighted by his entry to the exclusive “six-meter club” and record-breaking wins in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games and 19th Asian Games.
“I look forward to the outdoor season with the goal being the Paris Olympics,” Obiena, who will start his campaign in outdoor tourneys on 18 May, said.
“I need to be more prepared. This is no excuse for my performance and I take full responsibility for placing ninth.”
