EJ OBIENA is ready to skip the coming Southeast Asian Games in Thailand in order to give chances to Filipino pole vaulters Hokett Delos Santos and Elijah Cole.
Obiena said the SEA Games is pencilled into his calendar this year, although his actual 2025 season officially ended on Sunday with his gold-medal perfmrance at the Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge.
But Obiena said he is willing to step aside if either Delos Santos or Cole are capable of capturing the gold in the December 8 to 20 showpiece.
READ EJ Obiena wins home event by equalling personal season-best
“Yes, of course, that’s in the picture,” said Obiena, who has won the SEA Games gold for three consecutive editions. “We talk to my coach. We’re going to do what we’re going to do. If push comes to shove, I need to be strategic about it.
"Right now, it’s on the calendar. That’s my plan," he added. “But if Hokett can win it and Elijah, I would love to have them really battle it out and have the experience of winning the Southeast Asian Games. But we will see how the season is going.”
A nation can only field two pole vaulters in the SEA Games, which means it could either be Obiena and Delos Santos, Obiena and Cole, or Delos Santos and Cole in Thailand.
Obiena and Delos Santos went 1-2 in the Hanoi SEA Games in 2021. Cole was an NH (no height) in Cambodia in 2023.
Delos Santos topped the National Pole Vault Competition last Saturday by reaching 5 meters to earn a spot at the World Pole Vault Challenge, where he failed to register a mark after missing all attempts at 4.80 meters.
Behind Obiena’s SEA Games record of 5.65m, Kasinpob Chomchanad of Thailand was the silver medalist in 2023 with a height of 5.20 meters. Delos Santos hit his personal best of 5.15 meters last year in the PATAFA Weekly Relays.
“Hokett is in good shape. Elijah is in good shape. We will see,” said Obiena.
With his season best this year at 5.80m, Obiena is seen as a sure gold for the Philippines in the biennial meet. While he wants to contribute medals to the nation's campaign, Obiena said he also wants others to have an opportunity to win it.
“We want to win. We need medals. We need to compete. But at the same time, I’m not going to be here forever. I’m not the oldest. I’m there, but we need the next guys to step up," said Obiena.
'They're going to be ready'
"And as I said, the reason why we put Hokett on the stage, nerves and all, is to get him the experience of competing with the best of the best, with the pressure on his shoulders to deliver. And with that, the SEA Games is another stepping stone for these guys.
“I don’t want to take a slot from them if they can win it. And I do believe in them. I know the pressure that’s going to be coming. I’ve seen Hokett do it under pressure. I know Eli (Cole) is training for it. And I do hope that come the time of the season, they’re going to be ready,” Obiena said.
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