ERNEST JOHN “EJ” OBIENA finally struck gold on Tuesday in the Czech Republic to put credence to an extended and meticulous training program geared toward a successful stint at next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
“Thank you Philippines. Truly proud to represent you,” Obiena wrote on his social-media account minutes after the medal ceremony of the 59th edition of the prestigious tournament in Ostrava that is part of the newly established World Athletics Continental Tour Gold circuit.
The 24-year-old Obiena cleared the bar at 5.74 meters, his season-best, in winning the gold over London 2012 Olympics champion Renaud Lavillenie of France 2017 World Championships winner Sam Kendricks of the US.
Lavillenie also cleared 5.74m but Obiena won the countback. Kendricks clinched bronze with 5.64m.
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) President Dr. Philip Ella Juico told BusinessMirror that Obiena’s gold was the fruit of the teamwork among the Obiena family, the athlete’s renowned Ukranian coach Vitali Petrov and even Rio 2016 Olympics winner Thiago Braz.
“Team Obiena—EJ, his parents Emerson and Jeanette—along with Coach Petrov and Thiago Braz are doing the right thing,” Juico said. “Add the Patafa’s program and the full support of the PSC [Philippine Sports Commission] and EJ is on the right track.”
Juico said Obiena and Braz are no ordinary training partners under Petrov at the World Pole Vault Centre in Formia, Italy. Months of training and the Covid-19 lockdown have made them close pals.
“It confirms a common belief that it’s important that you learn to live with others,” Juico said. “You may be the best athlete, the best pole vaulter but all of that is for naught if you can’t get along with others or if you don’t command the respect and admiration of your colleagues and others.”
“A little more adjustments,” Emerson Obiena said as he bared the team’s program to gradually target 5.80m for the rest of the year and go for 6.0m early next year ahead of the Tokyo Olympics that were rescheduled from July 23 to August 8 next year because of the pandemic.
Braz owns the Olympic record of 6.03m he established in Rio 2016, while Swiss-American Armand Duplantis set the world record of 6.18m in Glasgow last February.
Braz settled for fourth place with a 5.64m effort in Ostrava, which lured some of the world’s best in the event, including Poland’s Pawel Wojciechowski (5.34) and Matt Ludwig, who was in his worse performance so far by landing last in the 10-athlete field with no registered jump.
About 3,000 spectators were allowed to attend the meet due to the government’s restrictions to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
After earning a ticket to Tokyo by beating the Olympic qualifying mark of 5.80m with a 5.81m effort in Piazza Chiari, Italy, in September last year, Obiena stayed focused on training for the Games.
Obiena won gold in last December’s Philippine Southeast Asian Games before he was locked down in training in Formia.
His 2020 campaign has turned bright approaching the year’s end. He bagged silver at the 13th Triveneto International Meeting in Trieste, Italy, last August, finishing behind Braz. He settled for a bronze medal at the Monaco leg of the Diamond League later in the month.
Obiena was entered at the Golden Roof Challenge in Indsbruck early this week but the event was canceled because of heavy rains.
Obiena’s next target is the Rome leg of the Diamond on September 17.