OBIENA FOCUSED ON WORLDS
THE World Athletics Outdoor Championships campaign of Asian record holder Ernest John “EJ” Obiena begins on Saturday (Manila time) when he jumps against top 31 other pole vaulters around the world in the qualification round at the Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) President Terry Capistrano confirmed to Businessmirror that the 26-year-old back-toback Southeast Asian Games gold medalist has already landed in Eugene last Wednesday after an exhausting two weeks of training in Chula Vista, Southern California.
“EJ doesn’t want to be disturbed anymore because he’s focusing on the competition. He is in high spirits,” Capistrano said, who is praying for Obiena’s success in the outdoor competition. “I am praying for at least a podium finish but I believe he belongs to those elite group of world’s best pole vaulters.”
After the qualification round, a total of 11 to 12 pole vaulters will advance to the Final on Monday (Manila time).
“Remember this is athletics and it’s really hard to make any prediction though,” Capistrano, a member of the World Athletics representing the Philippines, added.
But Capistrano admitted the favorite to win the gold there is Swedish world record holder Armand Duplantis, who is coming off a 6.20-meter gold medal and world record performance in the last indoor World Athletics last March 20 in Belgrade, Serbia.
“He’s absolutely the most popular pole vaulter here,” Capistrano said.
Obiena—accompanied by his long-time trainer and mentor Vitaly Petrov of Ukraine—will be jumping against the world’s best pole vaulters with his 5.93-m Asian record he set last September 11 in Innsbruck, Austria during the Golden Roof Challenge.