Obiena confident of podium chances in Paris Olympics

(UPDATE) FILIPINO pole vault ace Ernest John “EJ” Obiena believes he has better odds of making the podium of the Paris Olympics next year than what he had at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

Obiena, who was coming off a gold medal finish in the 19th Asian Games, made this known in a media availability at the Milky Way Cafe in Makati on Sunday.

“I think it's pretty good (podium chances), but there's still a long way to go. A lot of things can change but I'm pretty confident and I think we have better odds than the last time,” said Obiena.

Ernest John ‘EJ’ Obiena CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Obiena has grown leaps and bounds since the Tokyo Olympics, rising from No. 6 in July 2021 to No. 2 in the men's pole vault world rankings as of October 2023.

This year saw Obiena reset the Asian record to 6.0 meters (m) in Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway for the gold medal last June. Two months later, the pride of Tondo repeated the height clearance in the World Championships in Budapest for the silver.

Turning 28 years old this November, Obiena made the podium 15 times out of the 16 tournaments he joined this outdoor season capped by his Asian Games conquest that saw him set the new meet record to 5.90 m.

It was a major upgrade in Asiad performance for Obiena who could only surpass 5.30 meters at the 2018 edition in Indonesia where he placed seventh.

Obiena shared he really felt the weight of expectations for him to deliver a gold medal for the Philippines in the Asiad, but he cherished it nonetheless.

“I don't think there is more expectation of me in Paris than I had in the Asian Games. I owe you guys for writing that 'it's a sure gold'. That was heavy, but I kinda long for it, I enjoyed it. I guess I truly have been molded by the test of time,” he said.

“I think going in there was not much doubt, but there was worry of course, the reality that I could make a mistake and it's going to be a big one. I missed my first attempt at 5.75 m. I'm a little bit worried about that but I've learned how to control it (worries) and manage it.”