Last Aug 31, EJ Obiena competed in the Zurich Leg of the Diamond League, only to finish last out of all ten contenders. News of his dismal finish quickly spread throughout the internet, seemingly drawing attention as much as Duplantis’ huge victory at the same event.
Recording a 5.60, this was EJ Obiena’s worst performance since he placed 11th at the Tokyo Olympics. His physiotherapist, Antonio Guglietta, said fatigue contributed to his worst performance of the season.
“He’s still too tired,” Guglietta said,
“He was unable to recover after the world championships, but fortunately, this was not an important match since he already qualified for the Diamond League final.”, he explained.
EJ Obiena’s Gold Medals in Germany
Rather than surrendering to exhaustion, EJ Obiena rose to the challenge and returned to form. He then competed in two events in Germany, the Istaf Berlin held at the Olympiastadion and the NetAirchner Domspringen held in Aachen, both of which were held a few days apart. Despite his poor performance in the Zurich leg, Obiena was able to triumph in both tournaments, demonstrating to the world that his poor performance should not be used as a measure of his pole vaulting ability.
On September 4, EJ Obiena went back to his normal self and soared to a glorious height of 5.92 meters at the Istaf Berlin. He then went on to the NetAachen Domspringen on September 6 and cleared another record of 5.92 meters.
EJ Obiena went from last place to first place in a matter of days, clinching two gold medals for the Philippines and demonstrating to the world the power of perseverance after failure.
Obiena’s Bronze at Brussels Diamond League
On September 8, Obiena then went on to the Brussels leg of the Diamond League and cleared another 5.92 meters, performing consistently throughout his past three competitions and making it to the podium each time.
He lagged behind Armand Duplantis (first place) and Sam Kendricks (second place) at the meeting.
“Happy with the consistency but definitely lots of things to work on. A few more days in Europe before we head to Eugene for the Diamond League Final,” wrote Obiena in a Facebook post after match.
Obiena’s Silver Medal in Oregon, USA
At the Wanda Diamond League Final, Obiena went head to head with the Swedish pole vaulter again, Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis, whose goal was not only to clinch gold but also to break his own world record.
Only the two of them were able to clear the 5.82 meter-height in the competition, which meant that Obiena’s place on the podium was already set even if he did fail to beat Duplantis.
When the bar was raised to a new height of 6.02 meters, Obiena, unfortunately, was not able to clear the distance. Meanwhile, Obiena hurdled past the distance with ease and went on to improve the distance and register a new world record of 6.23 meters at the event.
Nevertheless, Obiena’s silver medal still made the Philippines proud.
Hangzhou Asian Games
After the Diamond Final, Obiena is set to compete at the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games. The competition will be held from September 23rd to October 8th, and fans are eager to see if the Filipino pole vaulter can continue his success in China.
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