Obiena enjoys odd season
EJ Obiena couldn’t help but be grateful for his unpredictable season in the international stage.
Obiena, the country’s first qualifier in the Tokyo Olympics, said 2020 was such a weird and unpredictable year for him as he had a rollercoaster ride to becoming one of the elite pole vaulters in the world.
He said despite being slowed down by the coronavirus pandemic, he still managed to regain his bearings and registered six podium finishes, including a historic gold medal in the Ostrava Golden Spike tournament and a pair of bronze medals in the prestigious Diamond League.
My 2019 self wouldn’t have predicted that 2020 would be so unpredictable.
Along the way, he outclassed some of the biggest names in the sport, including Olympic champions Thiago Braz of Brazil and Renaud Lavillenie of France as well as world champion Sam Kendricks of United States.
“I would like to think that we did okay considering everything that happened,” said Obiena, who clinched a bronze medal in the second leg of the Diamond League in Rome.
“One gold, two twos (silver) and three threes (bronze) with a total of six out of eight decent finishes.”
“It has been a rollercoaster ride since January and there’s no sign of slowing down.”
Despite suffering the impact of the pandemic that saw the cancellation of the Summer Games, the 24-year-old Filipino still refused to give up.
He adjusted his training program following the closure of his training facility for several months and made a quick recovery from a knee injury that he sustained in his first day in training.
Obiena said these would not be possible without the help of his mentor in former Olympic champion Vitaly Petrov.
“Thank you Coach Vitaly as you are always just incredible, maybe even more. You’ve been very patient with me especially through those rough months,” he said.
“Thank you for all the support you have given me this year. You motivated, pushed, and even carried me through this season.”
The International Amateur Athletics Federation still has one tournament left in its calendar, the Doha edition of the Diamond League next week, but Obiena opted to sit out in preparation for 2021.
“My 2019 self wouldn’t have predicted that
2020 would be so unpredictable,” he said.
“Let’s bounce to 2021 with the lessons of 2020 and keep moving forward. Thank you so much everyone who has been a part of this weird season.”