Asian Video games – Hangzhou 2022 – Athletics – Olympic Sports activities Middle Stadium, Hangzhou, China – September 30, 2023 Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines celebrates with the Philippine flag after profitable the boys’s pole vault closing REUTERS/Jeremy Lee
What longer break?
EJ Obiena, the world’s No. 2 pole vaulter, continues to work even throughout a prolonged athletics offseason, maintaining himself in form by means of cross-training in tennis and even gymnastics.
However he’s additionally embarking on a bigger enterprise.
“The Philippines is house to unimaginable and devoted athletes, however their full potential and goals are sometimes not realized attributable to restricted services, assist and media protection,” Obiena mentioned.
Final weekend, the Asian Video games champion accomplished one other fundraising marketing campaign, auctioning off the garments he used throughout his tournaments in particular person objects. The proceeds shall be used to provide younger pole vaulters the possibility to at some point grow to be identical to him.
“I began out as a thin child from Tondo and had the chance to coach underneath an amazing coach with nice athletes in an amazing atmosphere,” Obiena mentioned.
Pole vault grasp
The son of former pole vaulter Emerson Obiena obtained his break whereas coaching in Formia, Italy, nearly a decade in the past underneath famed Ukrainian pole vaulter Vitaly Petrov.
Obiena took the silver medal at this yr’s World Championships in Hungary, after a bronze medal on the 2022 United States version.
The 28-year-old star has received the Southeast Asian Video games thrice, the Asian Championships twice and has damaged his personal document as much as 6 meters quite a few instances.
The 2-time Olympian has racked up quite a few victories on the European circuit, together with defeating world No. 1 and champion Armand Duplantis of Sweden, projected as his nemesis on the upcoming Paris Olympics, as soon as within the Diamond League.
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In response to Obiena, the contributions from his auctioned private objects will play an necessary function in securing funding for a devoted coaching facility and offering much-needed assist to younger and promising pole vaulters. INQ
