Obiena admits going through struggles en route to Paris Olympics

MANILA, Philippines – Despite facing “physical problems” the past few months, Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena is vowing to go all out in the Paris Olympics. 

In a Facebook post a few days before the opening of the Olympics, Obiena acknowledged that he has been going on a “bumpy road” this season.

“Despite my best efforts at conditioning, fitness and discipline, I have been battling with various physical problems since April. I know and fully understand this can happen to athletes training at such intensity and no complaints…but why now!?!?” he said. 

“This has meant constant stops and stitching training and competition together with my team as well as we could. I have undergone in the past months, weeks and days a variety of medical procedures, to hopefully give myself the best shot at the Olympic Games,” he added. 

The World No. 2 pole vaulter is one of the Philippines’ medal favorites for the upcoming Olympiad. 

But it has been a roller-coaster ride in the past competitions for Obiena as he earlier battled broken poles. 

After back-to-back gold medals in February, he dropped to ninth in the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow back in March. 

A couple of months later, Obiena struck gold anew in the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix before dropping to seventh 10 days after at the Ostrava Golden Spike. 

A couple of days later, he placed third at the Oslo Bislett Games and crashed into seventh place anew at the BAUHAUS-Galan in Sweden. 

He then copped two consecutive golds at the Irena Szewinska Memorial and the Czeslaw Cybulski Memorial last month. 

Earlier this month, he barely missed the podium at the Meeting de Paris Diamond League. 

“Am I feeling confident with my preparation? Well, definitely not as much as I would like!! Am I doing the best I can each day? Yes and most definitely yes!!! Not what I wanted but we’re still standing and I still have a few more days to prepare and sharpen,” he said. 

“I know these things happen. All athletes at an Olympic level deal with such adversities. I know not everything is in my control. I am an optimist by-nature. Can I perform at the highest level? YES, I BELIEVE I CAN!” he added. 

“I am a proud Filipino and that means I am resilient and have weathered far worse situations. I promise you all I will give not 99% but all 100%!” 

The pole vault competition will kick off on August 6 at 1 a.m. (Manila time).