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    Anais Lavillenie says sorry to EJ Obiena over doping accusation

    Renaud Lavillenie wife makes apology
    Oct 26, 2023
    Ej Obiena Lavillenie
    PHOTO: Jerome AscaƱo | @airlavillenie on Instagram

    ANAIS Lavillenie has apologized to EJ Obiena for her accusing the Filipino pole vaulter of doping on social media.

    Anais Lavillenie apology to EJ Obiena

    Lavillenie sent a written apology to Obiena, who also posted the letter on his social media account. Obiena said he accepted the apology of the wife of fellow pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie of France.

    “I would like to offer publicly my sincere apologies for writing untruthful words on Vaulter Magazine’s Facebook post about you and your coach Vitaly Petrov,” she wrote.

    “I made a stupid amalgam that I should never have done and written, I admit, and that’s why I deleted the comment after the fact but the damage was done. I am sincerely sorry,” Anais added.

    “I am aware that I have disrespected you and your coach and I deeply regret my act.”

    “Thank you for understanding my apologies for my unacceptable behavior. Good luck for you training,” she added.

    Aside from accepting the apology, Obiena has also requested the netizens to stop messaging the Lavillenies on social media in the aftermath of the accusation.

    “I received today the attached apology letter from Anais Lavillenie. I accept this. She admits she was wrong and she admits what she did was wrong. This fact, alongside all other facts makes it clear. I am a 100% CLEAN ATHLETE,” wrote Obiena on his Facebook page.

    Obiena reiterated that his strong reaction to the accusation that included mulling a legal action was due to the fact that he never failed a doping test throughout his entire career.

    “Normally I would have ignored such noise. But given the source, a former elite Pole Vaulter and wife of a former Olympic Champion and World-record holder, I was compelled to react to aggressively defend myself. I didn’t ask for any of this. But the reality is, the accused is put into an unfortunate position of having to defend themselves against baseless and spurious claims,” Obiena said.

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      By accepting the apology, Obiena has also essentially taken out the option to file a case, which he admittedly would be a distraction to his preparations for the Paris Olympics.

      “I have no desire to disrupt my Paris Olympics preparation in pursuing a legal case. I also would like to keep the close-knit nature of the elite pole vault community and have no desire to disrupt these dynamics. So, I am prepared to accept a full and complete apology and move on. This is what I believe the bigger person would do,” said Obiena.

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      PHOTO: Jerome AscaƱo | @airlavillenie on Instagram
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