ERNEST JOHN “EJ” OBIENA plunges into a 10-day, three-tournament swing in Poland and Norway as the world No. 3 warms up toward his goal of returning to the Olympics in Paris 2024.
“I just need to be ready by July and prepare myself for this year’s championships and [Olympic] qualifying tournaments,” Obiena told BusinessMirror through internet call from Formia, Italy, Sunday.
Obiena will compete at the Memorial Ireny Szewińskiej on Tuesday in Bydgoszcz, Poland, followed by the Bergen Jump Challenge on Saturday in Bergen, Norway, and Oslo Bislett Games also in the Norwegian capital on June 15.
The qualification window starts on July 1 and ends June 30 next year with Obiena setting his sight at the men’s pole vault standard of 5.94 meters.
“The goal is to qualify outright,” he said.
The 27-year-old who obliterated the field in the recent Cambodia Southeast Asian Games intends to break that ceiling either at the Asian Outdoor Athletics Championships in Pattaya from July 12 to 16, the World Athletics Championships from August 19 to 27 in Antwerp, Belgium, or the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 8.
“The big tournaments haven’t started yet but the buildup and the European circuits have already just begun,” he said. “Good thing now is I am physically healthy.”
“My drive of winning remains to be an important thing, and I have to keep myself that way,” said Obiena, who’s become the apple of the eye of legendary pole vault coach, Ukrainain Vitaly Petrov.
Obiena broke the SEA Games record thrice in the rain early last month in Phnom Penh and wound up with the gold at 5.40 meters—still off the Asian record of 5.94 meters which he owns.
Petrov, he said, was satisfied with his Cambodian stint.
“Vitaly [Petrov] was very happy with my performance in Cambodia,” he said. “Despite winning gold at 5.40, I’m still determined to achieve greater heights despite the weather there.”
Obiena cleared 5.94 meters that earned him bronze behind legendary Armand Duplantis (6.21) of Sweden and Chris Nelson (5.94) of the US at the world championships last year in Eugene, Oregon.
