EJ off to Dubai

After a two-week visit to Manila, world No. 2 pole vaulter EJ Obiena is off to Dubai today before landing in his Formia, Italy, training base to get ready for the indoor season in February and the Paris Olympics. The whirlwind home stop was an opportunity for Obiena to catch up with family, friends, loved ones, sponsors and supporters.

Asked what was the highlight of his trip which came after bagging gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games, he couldn’t decide. “Hard to choose,” he said. “I’m just overwhelmed.” One highlight was his visit to Lourdes Hospital which has unveiled Obiena as an ambassador. Another was the press conference introducing “Katapult EJ’s Dream,” a project where a silent auction on his memorabilia is conducted to raise funds for the purchase of pole vault pits to be distributed across the country.

Lourdes Hospital is close to Obiena’s heart as a Manila kid from Tondo. He could’ve selected a more high-profile medical center to endorse but the attraction of pitching a growing hospital with a special focus on caring for low and middle-income families was special. Lourdes has lately expanded its clientele and borders beyond previous norms to offer upgraded services, facilities and medical equipment. As for “Katapult EJ’s Dream,” Obiena said those interested in acquiring competition jerseys, shoes and other memorabilia may check out the website https://ejobiena.katapultdigital.com with the announcement of winning bids on his Nov. 17 birthday.

Hosting Obiena and his family in Dubai for at least a week is his long-time benefactor Jim Lafferty. “I have a cook making him 100 percent healthy food,” said Lafferty who has backed Obiena even before his rise to stardom. “Daily runs on the beach. Gym workouts. His family is joining him and we start to build some base fitness and eat well but also relax.”

One issue that has been a problem for Obiena but is now a thing of the past is transporting poles from continent to continent. Finally, Obiena has several poles waiting in stockrooms in Nevada, Formia and Manila. What he used in Hangzhou was a set of eight that his father Emer brought from Manila. A lot of airlines won’t accept poles in cargo because of the possibility of breakage and unavailable space. For the Asian Games, Obiena’s poles were transported by Philippine Airlines in a special arrangement and upon landing in Shanghai, driven to Hangzhou in a 52-seat bus on a three-hour ride. The route of landing the poles in Hangzhou via Hong Kong wasn’t an option since flights from Hong Kong employ small planes that couldn’t accommodate poles that are at least 17 feet long.