Rest can wait for Obiena
TOKYO — Ernest John Obiena is not about to waste time despite the long 13-hour flight from Italy.
“I have training today, actually. I might do it inside the hotel,” said the 25-year-old Obiena who checked in at Conrad Tokyo where he will stay for a couple of days.
He said he would rest on Sunday before making his last jump session on Monday.
The thrill of competing in the Tokyo Olympics has yet to sink in.
“I feel not so excited about it (Olympics), all the hype, and anything. Well, maybe, not yet. And I guess that’s a good thing,” he said.
We have to do something special.
Sports runs deep in Obiena’s family. His father Emerson has won silver in the Southeast Asian Games and formerly holds the national record in pole vault.
His mother Jeanette was a hurdler during her collegiate days. Sister Emily is also a pole vaulter. The dream to compete in the Olympics is inescapable.
“That was definitely a dream, but I don’t know if I could achieve it or not. I never really thought that I was in the position of vying for a medal,” he said.
“Realistically speaking, I actually can. I really didn’t think of this. A week ago, my coach said to me ‘No bullshit, EJ. You have to stay focused, we have to do something special. Don’t do something foolish,’” Obiena grinned.
His career took a big turn in 2014 when he met Ukrainian pole vault legend Sergey Bubka who introduced him to his former coach, the legendary Vitaly Petrov. Petrov took Obiena under his wings, and the rest is history.
From a mere 5.01-meter record which he accomplished at the PATAFA weekly relays in July 2014, Obiena has consistently been breaching the 5.85-meter mark for the past international tournaments he joined in Europe, catapulting him to no. 6 in the World IAAF rankings. Obiena attributed his improvement to Petrov. “He’s the guy who made me jump where I am jumping now. He’s the guy who was with me through it all. When I was injured with my ACL, he was not physically there, he called me and he was really devastated by what happened,” he said.
“I believe I won’t be where I am without him. I am grateful that he saw something in me.” Obiena said he wants to win a medal.
“I guess I wouldn’t be able to repay them unless I get something big here,” said Obiena, who trains with Rio Olympics champion Thiago Braz of Brazil, another protégé of Petrov.
“We are partners in training, but on the field, we are competitors,” Obiena said.
“I know what I can do. I’m excited in a way that I can control, which is good. I’m just here to do my part, I know what I have to do, I have competed with these guys a couple of times, so, I just need to bring my normal self from that qualification day, hopefully to the
finals,” he concluded.