After plucking the silver medal in the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Hungary, EJ Obiena returned to action as he competed in the Zurich Diamond League in Switzerland late Thursday (Manila time).
Obiena, who cemented his spot as the second-best pole vaulter in the world, is still battling an elite cast of competitors headed by world record-holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden as well as Chris Nilsen, Sam Kendricks, Sam McWhorter and KC Lightfoot of the United States, Kurtis Marschall of Australia, Thibaut Collet of France, Ersu Sasma of Turkey and Ben Broeders of Belgium at press time.
Obiena’s training partner in Rio de Janeiro Olympics champion Thiago Braz of Brazil was also supposed to compete but he remains suspended after testing positive for doping.
Obiena’s campaign in the Diamond League series has been truly impressive.
He clinched a bronze medal in the Oslo Leg in Norway in June before bagging the silver medals in Stockholm and Monaco in July.
Last year, he had a good chance of making it to the final but pulled out after missing several legs due to Covid-19.
Under the Diamond League rules, eight points will be given to top performers per discipline, seven points for second placers, six points to bronze medalists, five points for fourth place athletes, four points for fifth place, three points for sixth place, two points for seventh place and one point for eighth place.
This year’s Diamond League final is set on 16 and 17 September at the Hayward Field in Oregon, less than a week before the opening of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association secretary general Edward Kho said with Obiena already familiar with the competition, he can gauge how well they will do against each other in tournaments.
“It’s like the usual cast of a variety show. The venue changes but the format stays the same,” Kho told Daily Tribune in a phone conversation.
“The element of surprise has been reduced for EJ. He already has an idea where your chances stand because for EJ, he played with them multiple times.”
“While he is not always assured that the results will be the same for him, he knows the range of where he will stand. He already has an idea of the capabilities of his opponents.”
