EJ Obiena is scheduled to return to the country for a much-deserved break after a successful 2022 season.
Obiena will be taking a respite in the Philippines, a first in a long while due to his training in Italy, just a few days after ending his season with back-to-back wins in Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
[READ: Obiena wins second title in as many days]
Obiena is also expected to pay a courtesy call on officials of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) in the next few days.
The Filipino pole vaulter is coming off an excellent showing this season highlighted by a bronze medal at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon last July that enabled him to rise to No. 3 in the world.
In all, Obiena won six titles over a span of three weeks including a victory in the Brussels Diamond League over world No. 1 Armand Duplantis.
The year also saw Obiena capture a gold in the Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi last May following a rift between him and the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association.
Obiena has since come back from the national pool after being reinstated by Patafa under new president Terry Capistrano.
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