EJ OBIENA could not have found a better ending to a year filled with heartaches, injuries and a drop in global pole vault standings. With the support of the Ayala Group, Obiena helped organize the Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge and invited some of the world's best to participate.
The result was more than gratifying. Local fans saw with their own eyes why Obiena is regarded as one of the world's best pole vaulters as the local athletics hero captured the gold medal Sunday in Makati.
READ: EJ Obiena wins home event by equalling personal season-best
Although he failed to match his personal best, he was able to produce his season-best of 5.80 meters to beat Thibaut Collet of France and Piotr Lisek of Poland, second and third, respectively.
The mark is way below his 6.02 meters vault that gave him a fourth-place finish in the 2024 Olympics, and a silver and bronze in the World Athletics Championships.
In the Worlds just a few days ago in Tokyo at the same stadium where he made his Olympic debut in 2021, Obiena was in such a bad shape that he didn’t even reach the final. And from a high of No. 2, Obiena is currently ranked seventh in the world prior to the World Pole Vault Challenge.
Reflecting on the just-concluded season, Obiena admitted he is still feeling the effects of shutting down the 2024 season last September due to a spine fracture. Because of this, he had to train harder to catch up with the rest of the field after taking a long lay-off because of the injury.
The reset caused him to miss the World Indoor Championships last March, as injuries in his back and hamstring also hounded him in the 2025 outdoor season.
“It’s been tough,” said Obiena during the post-event press conference. “I think I started catching up to these guys. I’ve never really had a long time off and with my back injury coming after Paris, I had to force a six-week off and that takes a toll on your body. When I got back, I wanted to catch up. I knew I lost a lot.”
In hindsight, Obiena said taking a lengthy respite may not be the best decision.
“I think that’s a wrong approach. Sometimes, you keep pounding on the door, sometimes, you break it. A little pain here and there, a little injury, it derails your program. It derails your plan.”
“Missing the World Championships and then knowing that I’m in trouble losing points. Therefore, I need to start my season early, had to put me in back foot catching up. It’s not the best atmosphere to do it. I’ve been there before but this time around, the stakes are a little bit higher.
Compounding to the woes was Obiena forcing to pull out of competitions due to visa issues.
“Made a couple of mistakes here and there, flamed up my back a little bit and my hamstring a little bit, and needed to pull out of a couple of competitions because of visa problems. I didn’t have my passport for almost a month because I need visa in Tokyo, I need visa in China,” said Obiena.
Obiena though is not using the injuries and other issues as excuses, saying that it is part of being an athlete. The difficulties and the learning experiences from the just-concluded 2025 season also made bagging Sunday’s title a special one.
“It is what it is. It comes with the game. I recognize that it’s not an excuse. Me and my team made a mistake, we learned from it. Again, I’m happy that I’m able to compete here at the best of my abilities for this season. That’s why I’m really am happy to win this because I knew I’m not in the best shape of my life.”
After a much-needed break, Obiena vowed to be better come 2026.
“With that, I need to put the best pieces that I've got. A friend of mine, a woman pole vaulter, said it the best. It’s like you have a thousand pieces puzzle and you only have 600 pieces. Maybe I have a little bit more, but you need a thousand to be ready. And it’s been not enough for me. It’s not enough preparation.
“But such is life. Such is sport. Things happen,” said Obiena.
Yes, we hope Obiena finds the missing pieces and put them all together in 2026.
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