Despite suffering one of the ugliest losses in his career, Ernest John Obiena remains upbeat, knowing that it hardly affected his morale and preparation for the Paris Olympics this year.
In a news conference in which he was formally introduced as part of Team Visa in the Summer Games, Obiena said his setback in the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow recently is nothing but a minor hiccup in his quest for the country’s second Olympic gold medal.
Ranged against the world’s best pole vaulters, including world record-holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden, Obiena completely faded, prompting him to settle for ninth place with a 5.65-meter performance in the biggest and most prestigious indoor event in the world.
The finish is the ugliest Obiena ever had since soaring for 5.70 meters for a nightmarish 11th-place performance in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Obiena rued his performance, stressing that his lack of sufficient training in indoor competitions ruined his chances.
He, however, stressed that preparing for the Summer Olympics is a different story.
“So far so good,” Obiena said.
“Things are going the way we planned. There’s still a few months to go but we’re already hitting the right markers at the right time.”
Obiena added that he is at his best physically since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament a day before leaving for the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur in 2017.
He vowed to be ready by the time the outdoor season kicks off on 18 May.
“I have been healthy and injury-free,” he said, adding that he is also mentally and emotionally prepared to go full blast in training and pre-Olympic competitions.
“When it comes to my mental state, I, of course, was upset about how the (recent) competition went. The harsh thing there is that I went there knowing I could.”
“But all I can say is that I am ready to open my season in May. Now, we’re going back to Italy in preparation for the outdoor season on 18 May.”
