MANILA, Philippines — Philippine pole vaulter EJ Obiena is primed for a long deserved rest after finishing a stellar season highlighted by a historic bronze medal finish in the World Athletics Championships this year.
Having capped off his season with back-to-back gold medals in the Golden Fly Series in Liechtenstein and in the Gala dei Castelli in Switzerland, Obiena is set for a hero's welcome here in the Philippines.
Per The STAR's Abac Cordero, the World No. 3 pole vaulter will be making a courtesy call to newly appointed Philippine Sports Commission Chairperson Noli Eala on Thursday.
Pole vault star EJ Obiena is in town, and will pay PSC chairman Noli Eala a courtesy call tomorrow … @PhilippineStar
— @abaccordero (@abaccordero) September 14, 2022
Obiena took to social media on Wednesday to share some thoughts on his year.
"Now is time for rest and regroup for next year," wrote Obiena, who also expressed his thanks for those who watched and supported his competitions.
He made a special shoutout to Filipinos overseas who make their way in person to watch the pole vaulter's competitions.
"Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng sumubaybay sa aking mga laban nitong mga nakaraang linggo. Lalo na po sa mga kababayang pumunta at nanood sa aking laro. Maraming salamat po," he said.
Obiena registered a whopping 10 first place finishes in his Outdoor season. Arguably, though, the best moment of his season was when he clinched third place in Worlds, marking the first time a Filipino won a medal in the World Athletics Championships.
Also in the highlights for the Filipino pole vaulter was when he defeated world record holder Mondo Duplantis for the top spot in the Diamond League in Belgium.
It was also the first time that Obiena had won a Diamond League meet.
The 26-year-old also defended his gold medal in the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi last May where he cracked a new meet record at 5.46m.
In Worlds, Obiena broke his own personal best and the Asian record with a 5.94m clearance.
Not only did Obiena enjoy success within pole vault but also in his personal battles as the PSC and the Commission on Audit cleared Obiena of the previous brouhaha he had with National Sports Association Philippine Athletics Track And Field Association dealing with alleged mishandling of funds.
After being dumped from the national team roster, Obiena was also officially welcomed back into the arms of his NSA last month.
It can also be recalled that Obiena was also fresh from surgery following an injury in January, which caused him to miss the first couple of competitions of the season.
Still, with the flurry of highlights Obiena was able to record in his 2022 season, it can be considered a year well played for the Filipino.
Moving forward, Obiena is looking to continue to compete for the Philippines in anticipation for the Paris 2024 Olympics.