Filipino pole-vaulter EJ Obiena merely bankrupt brand new federal list (again): He conversations Tokyo Olympics, Mondo Duplantis, and you will feeling the fresh new like throughout the Philippines inside our personal talk.

EJ Obiena was cheerful as he arises o sГ­tio toward videocall. “Disappointed, was only performing my personal Covid try,” he says, “it’s negative, so that is great.”

Simple fact is that most recent good news in the a strong stream of a development to own EJ whoever incredible indoor seasons gave treatment for a great outdoor seasons with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games only weeks away.

Obiena has many times broken national facts and you can skyrocketed themselves on the the top podium over community champion Sam Kendricks and Olympic silver medallist Thiago Braz.

Personal! EJ Obiena kits sights toward Philippines’ first ever before Olympic gold: “This is the objective”

Towards the Obiena place a different sort of Filipino listing of 5.85m, effective the fresh new Diving and you will Fly battle in Mossingen, Germany, that mark exceeded his personal checklist of 5.81 that he devote from inside the Chiari, Italy – a mark you to generated him the initial Filipino so you’re able to be eligible for Tokyo 2020.

The new Olympic postponement gave Obiena a-year be effective more difficult and you may go higher nowadays he could be hiking continuously toward miracle 6m draw, putting himself throughout the reckoning towards the podium during the rescheduled during the summer from 2021.

This pole vaulter ‘s the pride away from Filipino track-and-field and is for the surely throughout the his goal within Tokyo Games:

“Victory the fresh gold, that’s it man. That’s a really hard objective to achieve, but that’s the prospective. For this reason I’m carrying out this, to not ever rating next and never discover 3rd. to help you winnings they.” – EJ Obiena

Would be to Obiena do it he’d become the earliest previously Filipino to help you win an Olympic gold medal, permanently creating their title on the Olympic lore out of a country passionate about sport.

Read on because of it personal interviews towards the Philippine eagle, off their Olympic aims to the fresh Filipino dining he misses (Such new coconut liquids, mangoes and you will Jollibbee!), exactly how Covid nearly generated your stop and you may go home, and his awesome 75-year-dated advisor Vitaly Petrov which confident him to save supposed.

We in addition to discover just how he is in charge of their psychological state far from home, new nearest and dearest he’s made, his girlfriend who’s as well as an athlete, additionally the daunting service he feels from Filipinos everywhere.

Just how large can also be EJ Obiena wade?

5.62m (5th) from the Karlsruhe Globe Indoor Journey, 5.80m (1st) at ISTAF Berlin, 5.68m (1st) in Dortmund, 5.60m (5th) from the WA interior Trip Gold in Lievin, 5.86m (2nd) from the Orlen Cup inside the Lodz, 5.80m (3rd) at the Copernicus Cup, Torun.

Today he’s his sights set on brand new Far-eastern number out-of 5.93, but also for EJ it isn’t about the brand new quantity.

“Thus i have this top goal peak that i should achieve but at the same time don’t assume all competition merchandise the fresh new opportunity for that build that bar, you know. Regarding competition, I attention on the latest club which is place nowadays.

“Going into race, if you think about the brand new number and you can individuals leaps more one to checklist, you happen to be fundamentally eg, oh s. I have to dive greater than you to definitely?

“Therefore i think a knowledgeable particular psychology going into competition is merely which i must be he exactly who jumps more than other job. I work with winning the latest meets.”

His outdoor 12 months began remarkably when he cleared 5.80 so you’re able to greatest the podium inside June, he then removed one to Olympic basic once again at the 2021 FBK Video game on Netherlands, where the guy stepped up towards podium behind simply Mondo, whom cleaned six.10m.