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    EJ Obiena begins quest for history in Olympics pole vault debut

    EJ Obiena is regarded as the first athlete to have a legit shot at the country's first Olympic medal in athletics in 89 years
    Jul 30, 2021
    EJ Obiena
    PHOTO: Jerome Ascano

    TOKYO – EJ Obiena gets a shot at an important piece of Philippine sports history when he competes in the preliminaries of the men's pole vault competition at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium on Saturday.

    Obiena has risen to No. 6 in the world and is regarded as the first athlete to have a legit shot at the country's first athletics medal in the Olympics since Miguel White's bronze in the 400-meter hurdles in the 1932 Games in Berlin.

    To do that, the 25-year old Tondo-born star will have to hold his own against the likes of world No. 1 Armand Duplantis of Sweden and No. 3 Piotr Lisek of Poland to secure one of 12 places in the medal round slated on August 3.

    Obiena unfazed by elite field

    Obiena is hardly fazed, having training in Italy for years under famed coach Vitaly Petrov and competing against the best in the world regularly including training partner Thiago Braz of Brazil, the Rio Olympics champion and No. 7 in the world.

    “It showed that I can compete with the best. It was like a preview,” said Obiena. “They are the top athletes in the world rankings. And, now it’s a mental game."

    The absence of two-time world champion Sam Hendricks after a positive test for Covid-19 hardly made the road easier for Obiena, who also has to contend with the likes of No. 5 Christopher Nilsen in the battle for spots in the finals.

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      To qualify for the 12-man finals, the entries must either leap 5.80 meters or finish in the Top 12. Obiena is expected to do both, having regularly leapt near or over that mark in the leadup to the Games.

      His personal best is 5.87 meters, which he set at the Irena Szwewinska Memorial/ Bydgoszcz Cup in Poland.

      To have a shot at a medal, Obiena knows he must breach the 6m barrier.

      “I know I can jump 6.0 meters. I’m not sure how I got it dialled in. I’ve seen how well I can jump, and I’ve seen what I’m capable of, and make sure that I bring that in the game,” said Obiena during a zoom conference with Filipino scribes.

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        On Friday, Obiena finally was back training at the Edogawa Stadium after the scare involving Kendricks, the world's No. 2-ranked pole vaulter.

        “May pag-aalala rin dahil uncertain ang situation. Hindi natin nakikita ang kalaban. Kailangan ng higit na pag iingat,” said the Obiena’s father Emerson Obiena.

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        PHOTO: Jerome Ascano
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