MANILA, Philippines — Barely two months removed from knee surgery, Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena has cleared new heights in his career as he set a new personal best and national record in men's indoor pole vault at the Perche Elite Tour in Rouen, France last weekend.
Turning in his best performance of the season, Obiena cleared 5.91m to smash his former personal best and national record of 5.86m he set back in 2021.
Considering that his surgery was only weeks behind him, Obiena admitted that even he himself was surprised that he was able to make the jump so early in the season.
"It feels great. I mean, I'm brutally honest. I'm proud of myself. I'm proud of my team, I'm proud of the people that surround me," Obiena told PlayitrightTV on Wednesday.
"You know, they made a lot of good calls, let's just say that. And even I msyelf, it's rare that an athlete surprises himself and I did. I think I'm quite happy about it," he added.
The accolade comes with a second place finish in the French tiff, and it sweetens Obiena's career despite an ongoing spat with the Philippine Athletics Track And Field Association.
According to Obiena, being able to get back on his feet so quickly after surgery was a combination of efforts by multiple people and he duly credited them.
"I think, first, it's just the quality of the medicine and the doctor, you know? The way he did the surgery is really next level," Obiena said of Dr. Dimitr-Alexander Jontschew.
Obiena admitted that a lot of doctors he had asked for second opinions doubted Jontschew's promise of being able to get Obiena back in time for the season, but the surgeon delivered and had Obiena jumping barely a month after surgery.
"He knows what he's doing and I think it's a really good call for my coach [Vitaly Petrov] and then a really good call for him as well to say we need to do the surgery as soon as possible and you can make the indoor season. Long story short, he's right," Obiena said.
"It's not just my effort, it's definitely just a bunch of different people making sure that I make the rigth calls in the right time," he added.
Whether the 26-year-old will get to defend his Southeast Asian Games gold in Hanoi this May is still uncertain as PATAFA continues to exclude him from the national team pool.
But, with mediation ongoing, Obiena can still represent the country in the upcoming biennial meet.
And with his recent performance, Obiena will likely be able to nab another podium finish for the country if he gets to compete.