OBIENA FACES TOUGH FOES, BROKEN POLE
The boy is a veteran. He can make adjustments
EJ Obiena will not just have to contend with world-class foes when he sees action in the Tokyo Olympics.
He also has to take the risk of using a broken pole.
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Philip Ella Juico yesterday admitted that one of the six poles that Obiena brought to Tokyo for the Summer Games was broken.
With this, Obiena has no choice but to use a replacement, which might also be damaged and could lead to injury.
“I don’t think he’s going to be comfortable using them since one of his six poles was damaged,” Juico, a distinguished sports official and former chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission, said.
“What the pole experts are saying is that if one of the poles got damaged inside the same container, there’s a chance that all of them are damaged as well.”
Juico said Southeast Asian (SEA) Games record-holder Natalie Uy also faced the same situation, prompting her to injure her left hand that greatly affected her chances of qualifying in the Olympics.
“It’s hard to use a damaged pole since he might get hurt like what happened to Natalie Uy,” said Juico, adding that Uy had to undergo surgery that sidelined her for eight months. “It already happened, but we cannot make this an excuse for him not to train properly.”
But a damaged pole hardly affects Obiena’s performance.
In fact, he used only one pole when he delivered impressive finishes in the final stretch of his Olympic preparation, including a record-breaking 5.87 meters at the Irena Szewiska Memorial-Bydgoszcz Cup at the Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium in Poland last 30 June.
Juico said Obiena will be using a pole that is similar to the equipment that got damaged upon its arrival in Tokyo.
“He will have about five to six days to get used to them,” Juico said, assuring that Obiena will do his best to finally win the country’s first ever Olympic gold medal.
“The boy is a veteran. He can make adjustments. It’s not just about the poles you have to think about but also the condition on the track oval during the competition.”
Obiena, the 30th SEA Games gold medalist, will face the world’s best vaulters in Rio de Janeiro Olympics champion Thiago Braz of Brazil, world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden, Olympic silver medalist Sam Kendricks of the United States and London Olympics champion Renauld Lavillenie of France.
The pole vault event in the Tokyo Olympics will begin on 31 July at the Olympic Stadium.