MANILA, Philippines — Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena is one of the staunch supporters of US Open Girls' Singles champion Alex Eala.
Despite being busy with his own trainings and competitions, Obiena is a self-confessed tennis fan and said he had been following Eala's progress in her young tennis career.
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Though having put the Philippines on the map in his own sport, the World No. 3 pole vaulter was left in awe of the 17-year-old's achievements.
"She has done something that's never been done and I'm really proud of her. I sent her dad and her a congratulatory message. I was like... I knew it going in, she didn't drop a set and that she was just aggressive," Obiena shared during a press conference with Philippine media last Monday.
Obiena admitted he had a special affinity with Eala, even though they are not as close as one would think. The 26-year-old, who also cross trains using tennis, said that he was eager to be able to do what Eala has done for Philippine tennis in his own sport.
Having been based in Europe for so long for his pole vault season, Obiena said he had encountered Eala's name more than once with young aspiring tennisters, he hopes to have the same impact in his own capacity.
"Since I got into tennis and actually, the training center where I train at, there's a lot of girls, they knew her and that's what I wanna do in my sport as well. You know, I want the Europeans to know me. And not be scared of me, but to recognize that there's a great [Filipino] in a sport that we're not normally known for," said Obiena.
"There's like a bunch of 15-, 18-year-old girls asking me 'Do you know Alex?' I was like 'Yeah I know Alex, and I know her uncle' Oh wow, she's amazing, she's so good. You know, that's something that I wanna be doing hopefully in some training center somewhere out there, a Filipino training there will be like 'Oh do you know EJ Obiena? Oh he's good'," he added.
The World Athletics Championships bronze medalist revealed that achievements carried a little bit more weight when they are able to carry the Philippine flag in a sport that isn't as popular in the country.
"Just putting that Filipino thing, as Alex said, it's very important for her that they know that we're Filipino and it's a different sense of achievement," said Obiena.
"Trust me, it's a different feeling, dominating an event that's not a sport [we usually] dominate." he concluded.
Obiena is currently in the country for a couple of weeks for some rest and relaxation after his 2022 season. He has been making his rounds to meet with various sports officials, lawmakers and media personalities while also sharing his time with his family.
Obiena is joined by his girlfriend and fellow track and field athlete Caroline Joyeux in his trip to the Philippines.