FILE–The Philippines’ EJ Obiena reacts as he competes in the men’s pole vault final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 26, 2023. (Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP)
Neck deep in his workouts in Italy, EJ Obiena is prepping for a big tournament that is the preview of the 2024 Paris Olympics, with the the World Athletics Indoor Championships scheduled March 1 to March 3 in Glasgow, Scotland, to give the Filipino a gauge of how he stacks up against the competition in the Summer Games.
“Right now, I’m trying to be stronger, faster, jump a little bit higher than last year,’’ said Obiena in a Zoom call during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Awards Night on Monday evening, where the world’s No. 2 vaulter was the unanimous choice as the group’s Athlete of the Year. He was forced to skip the event because of training in Italy.
“I stand here, truly humbled by this award, arguably the most prestigious award any Filipino athlete can get, an award I’ve dreamed way back in 2017, my first PSA [Awards] Night,’’ said Obiena.
The trophy of the Asian Games, Southeast Asian Games and Asian championships gold medalist was received by his parents, former Filipino pole vault king Emerson and Jeanette Obiena.
“This award suggests perhaps, to some degree, I’ve been successful in the mission, not in pole vaulting, but in leveraging my craft to help shape a better Philippines, and I would say, a stronger Philippines,’’ he added.
Top-caliber meets
Obiena is about to take the plunge in the ongoing world athletics indoor season in a matter of days with several top-caliber meets lined up in his buildup for the global indoor champs.
His team has yet to make known the tournaments where Obiena will participate in on his way to Glasgow, but numerous meets to choose from are on the World Athletics calendar in February.
Obiena is a regular in these tournaments in previous years beginning with the Istaf Indoor in Dusseldorf, Germany, on Feb. 4, the Mondo Classic in Uppsala, Sweden, and the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland, both of which will be simultaneously held on Feb. 6.
Also on the program next month are the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Lieven, France (Feb. 10), Stabhochsprung Stars 2024 in Frauenfeld, Switzerland (Feb. 11) and the Perche En Or in Roubaix, France (Feb. 14).
The Istaf Indoor 2024 in Berlin (Feb. 23) and the Perche Elite Tour in Rouen, France (Feb. 24) will be a week before the world championships where Obiena could again face his fiercest rivals since his silver medal in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August 2023.
Back then, world champion Armand “Mondo’’ Duplantis of Sweden retained his title in Budapest while Australia’s Kurtis Marschall placed third in the worlds.
Duplantis, the reigning Olympic champion and world record-holder, began his season with a victory in the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold in Astana, Kazakhstan, over the weekend.
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With no Southeast Asian Games, Asian championships and even a world outdoor champs this year, Obiena will campaign mostly in Europe on the road to Paris. INQ
