Filipino pole-vaulter EJ Obiena simply broke the brand new national listing (again): He talks Tokyo Olympics, Mondo Duplantis, and you will impression this new love about Philippines within personal cam.

EJ Obiena try smiling when he appears for the videocall. “Disappointed, was only starting my Covid decide to try,” he says, “it’s negative, very that’s good news.”

It’s the current very good news in the a powerful blast of good news getting EJ whose amazing interior seasons gave means to fix a great outside year for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Online game merely months aside.

Obiena has many times damaged federal records and you can catapulted themselves on the top podium more than business champ Sam Kendricks and Olympic gold medallist Thiago Braz.

Towards Obiena place a separate Filipino list of five.85m, successful the brand new Plunge and Fly competition for the Mossingen, Germany, one draw surpassed his personal checklist of 5.81 that he set in into the Chiari, Italy – a dot that generated him the initial Filipino to be eligible for Tokyo 2020.

Exclusive! EJ Obiena establishes views on the Philippines’ basic ever Olympic silver: “That’s the objective”

The newest Olympic postponement gave Obiena a-year be effective more complicated and increase and today he could be hiking steadily towards magic 6m draw, putting themselves about reckoning into podium in the rescheduled during summer out of 2021.

That it pole vaulter is the pride off Filipino track and https://kissbrides.com/sv/ukrainebride4you-recension/ field and is inside the surely on his goal from the Tokyo Games:

“Winnings the brand new gold, that’s it boy. That’s a very difficult goal to reach, but that’s the prospective. For this reason I am creating all this, not to ever score second rather than discover 3rd. so you can profit they.” – EJ Obiena

Is to Obiena take action he’d become the basic actually ever Filipino so you’re able to earn an Olympic gold medal, forever composing their identity towards the Olympic lore off a nation excited about sport.

Keep reading because of it personal interview into Philippine eagle, out-of his Olympic will brand new Filipino food the guy misses (For example new coconut h2o, mangoes and you may Jollibbee!), exactly how Covid almost generated him call it quits and you will go homeward, with his 75-year-dated coach Vitaly Petrov which convinced your to keep heading.

I also read about exactly how he manages his psychological state far from home, the brand new household members he could be made, his girlfriend who has as well as a runner, and overwhelming support the guy feels regarding Filipinos far and wide.

Exactly how higher can also be EJ Obiena wade?

5.62m (5th) at the Karlsruhe Globe Indoor Concert tour, 5.80m (1st) during the ISTAF Berlin, 5.68m (1st) inside Dortmund, 5.60m (5th) on WA interior Tour Gold when you look at the Lievin, 5.86m (2nd) during the Orlen Cup in the Lodz, 5.80m (3rd) from the Copernicus Cup, Torun.

Today he has their places seriously interested in this new Asian number out-of 5.93, but for EJ it isn’t everything about the wide variety.

“And so i understand this height mission top that we want to get to however, at the same time not all competition gift suggestions the fresh chance for you to build that pub, you are sure that. In terms of competition, We notice more about the fresh pub which is set today.

“Starting race, if you think about the fresh number and you may people leaps more than you to definitely listing, you’re essentially eg, oh s. I must jump higher than that?

“Thus i envision the best types of therapy going into competition simply that i need to be the guy whom jumps higher than the remainder community. We work with effective the latest meets.”

Their backyard year began remarkably when he cleared 5.80 so you’re able to top the newest podium during the Summer, then he cleaned you to Olympic basic again in the 2021 FBK Games on Netherlands, in which he stepped up to the podium behind merely Mondo, just who removed 6.10m.