A HEARTBREAKING finish was the story for Filipino Olympian Ernest John “EJ” Obiena, who was close to ending the Philippines’ 88-year athletics medal drought.
The treasured Thomasian athlete’s hopes for a medal were dashed after he fell just one spot below the 2024 Paris Olympics men’s pole vault podium on Aug. 6, Tuesday.
Asia’s finest pole vaulter scraped the bar at 5.95 meters in three bids at Stade de France, capping his quest to contribute to the Philippines’ medal haul.
Obiena started off strong and made easy pickings on the opening height of 5.50 meters. He then followed it up with a 5.70m-mark clearance to amp up his confidence.
But going vertically high wasn’t enough as the 28-year-old knocked off the 5.80m bar on his way down on his first attempt.
Deciding to skip his second chance at 5.80m, the world’s second-best took a risk with the 5.85m-mark, which he cleared. The Filipino pride showcased his prowess once more as he surpassed 5.90m in one try.
But even one of the top medal bets of the country can only deliver so much as he was unable to clear the 5.95m bar.
Undisputed world’s best Armand Duplantis of Sweden didn’t even break a sweat, winning back-to-back Olympic golds and setting a new world and Olympic pole vault record at the 6.25m-mark, beating his personal best at 6.24m. Sam Kendricks of US took silver, while Emmanouil Karalis of Greece closed out the podium with bronze.
During the qualifications, Obiena dislodged the bar in his opening height of 5.60m twice.
The UST product showed a much more noteworthy performance in this Olympics than his Tokyo 2020 stint, where he finished 11th. Despite that, Obiena was unable to add up to the country’s medal tally that saw back-to-back golds from gymnast Carlos Yulo.
Bumpy roads
In 2021, a few months after his dismaying Tokyo Games stint, Obiena had to grapple with a bigger problem. He had an ugly dispute with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), which went as far as recommending that he be expelled from the national team.
Accusations were made against Obiena by former PATAFA athletics chief Philip Juico, who claimed that the prized athlete had neglected to pay Ukranian coach Vitaly Petrov his salary. The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) described Juico’s move as a “vengeful act.”
After declaring Juico persona non grata for harassing Obiena publicly, the POC announced that both parties eventually came to a settlement.
In spite of the controversy, along with numerous citizenship offers, the pole vaulting sensation remained loyal to the Philippines.
Financial woes
The Tondo-born athlete also faced financial difficulties in preparation for Paris 2024.
Due to the suspension brought about by the PATAFA issue, the government was slow in processing the Olympian athlete’s funding requests in early 2022. But, supporters such as the alumni of his high school, Chiang Kai Sek College, did wonders and reached out to aid him.
Obiena, in his Facebook post last July, also revealed that he had “physical problems” that interfered with his preparations for the Summer Games. F – Nicole Atuan and Shayne Lee Andreas Macaraeg
