PHILIPPINE Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) president Terry Capistrano isn’t worried about the injury suffered by EJ Obiena in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics pole-vault competition on Saturday at the Stade de Paris.
Obiena, competing in his second Olympics, is reportedly dealing with a back injury, which he alluded to in a Facebook post last July 20 where he mentioned that he has been battling through “physical problems.”
READ Obiena vows to push on amid 'physical problems'
Capistrano said Obiena has been making sure that he is healthy come competition time.
"He’s handling it properly and it’s being attended to. He should be okay,” said Capistrano. "He has a physician with him, an Italian osteopath, who’s part of the team, and Dr. Raul Canlas is also here. Whatever it is, as far as I know, it’s manageable,” he said.
Hopes are high for Obiena, silver medalist in last year’s World Championships, to capture the Philippines’ first medal in athletics since Miguel White captured the bronze in the 400m hurdles of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
Obiena is also entering the Olympics ranked No. 2 in the world in pole vault.
While he believes that the Filipino pole vaulter can get the job done, Capistrano said Obiena faces tough opposition from other pole vaulters in the battle for a podium finish, most notably heavy favorite Mondo Duplantis.
“Anyone among the Top 10 can podium and the only guy who’s ahead of the pack is Duplantis,” Capistrano said. “But at the end of the day, we must remember that EJ is world No. 2. That’s the sum of what he’s been doing the past 12 to 18 months.”
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