The year 2023 proved to be a year to remember for Filipino superstar EJ Obiena.
A year after burying the hatchet with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association, Obiena showed up determined, more focused than ever as he made his presence felt in various international events highlighted by record-breaking victories that installed him as the second-best pole vaulter in the world.
The 28-year-old Obiena kicked off his season with a bang.
He plucked three gold medals early on as he dominated the Perche en Or in Roubaix, France in late January before beating a powerhouse cast of competitors that included Sam Kendrix of the United States and Piotr Lisek of Poland in the Orlen cup in Lodz, Poland.
A week later, Obiena took a two-hour drive to the Polish town of Torun to rule the Orlen Copernicus Cup.
With three gold medals hanging around his neck, it appears that Obiena could do no wrong with a long pole in his hands.
In July, he became the first Filipino to qualify for the Summer Games in Paris next year when he soared over the Olympic qualifying standard of 5.82 meters in the BAUHAUS-galan in Stockholm, Sweden.
Aside from the golden ticket to the Olympics, where he has a chance to finally clinch a medal, Obiena also bagged the silver medal behind world-record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden, who delighted the home crowd with 6.05 meters.
“Thank you to everyone who made this possible, and my deepest gratitude to those who went to war so that I could continue this dream. This is not just my accomplishment alone, but everyone’s,” Obiena said.
Obiena’s greatness was also on full display in the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Games.
Coming in as the heavy favorite, Obiena shattered his own mark of 5.42 meters by tallying 5.65 meters to collect his third gold medal in the SEA Games in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh.
His dominant run continued in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China as he set a meet record of 5.90 meters to shatter the 5.70-meter mark set by Seito Yamamoto of Japan in the Jakarta edition of the event in 2018.
Prior to that, Obiena made history as he registered 5.91 meters to conquer the Asian Athletics Championships, formally becoming the fourth Filipino to win multiple gold medals since Lydia De Vega (1983 and 1987 women’s 100m and 200m), Isidro del Prado (1983 and 1985 men’s 400m), and Amelita Alanes (1973 women’s 100m and women’s 4x400m relay).
“What a privilege it was to deliver the country’s first gold in the 19th Asian Games and break the championship record,” he said.
“Now, we officially close this season with a smile.”
But his biggest win came outside the Asian border.
Obiena finally cleared the six-meter barrier to win the gold medal in the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway. Aside from winning the gold medal, Obiena also became the first Asian to join the six-meter club with Ukrainian great Sergey Bubka becoming the first when he ruled a tournament in Italy in 1985.
Bubka was also trained by Vitaly Petrov, the same mentor who turned Obiena into a pole vault powerhouse.
“It took a few moments to sink in. But when it did, tears began to fall,” Obiena said, giving special credit to Petrov after finally breaking the six-meter barrier.
“And there was no greater shoulder to cry on than my coach. Vitaly, I couldn’t have done it without you.”
He added that making it to the exclusive club is not actually the goal.
“Still a lot of work ahead and still a long season,” he said, setting his sights on finally winning the gold medal in the Summer Games next year.
