OBIENA STRIKES GOLD
EJ Obiena kicked off his outdoor season on a sizzling note after clinching the gold medal in the Gothenburg Athletics Grand Prix in Gothenburg, Sweden early Thursday.
Obiena, the first Filipino to qualify in the Tokyo Olympics, soared with a commanding 5.70 meters to win the title and gain some measure of confidence heading into the final stretch of his preparation for the Summer Games this July.
His training partner, reigning Olympic champion Thiago Braz of Brazil, settled for the silver medal with 5.65 meters while 19-year-old Pål Haugen Lillefosse of Norway claimed the bronze with 5.60 meters in this event that attracted other Olympic-bound athletes.
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Philip Juico said Obiena’s performance in his first outdoor tournament is a good start for his Olympic campaign.
“This is his (Obiena) first outdoor meeting and it is a good sign and morale booster for him,” Juico said. “It’s good that he carries this kind of victory, it’s a great psychological booster as well.”
Currently seated as No. 11 in the world rankings, Obiena has been training double time inside his training camp in Fornia, Italy, under the supervision of noted Ukrainian mentor Vitaly Petrov.
Prior to that, Obiena had to move to another camp in Padova, Italy, where he spent a stellar indoor season, bagging four podium finishes, highlighted by his record-setting performance of 5.86 meters early this year. According to Juico, Obiena is tipped to compete in two to three more competitions in Europe before heading to Nagasaki for a 10-day camp early next month.
“I think he will still compete in three more tournaments. Once he finishes competing, he will be going to Nagasaki for another training camp,” Juico said, adding that Obiena has a competition on 6 and 11 June.
“He’s been having a hard time there (abroad) because he has to attend to other matters aside from training, but it’s great to see him handling it well.”