Filipino pole-vaulter EJ Obiena just bankrupt this new federal list (again): He discussions Tokyo Olympics, Mondo Duplantis, and you can impact the brand new like on the Philippines within our personal cam.
EJ Obiena are smiling when he pops up on videocall. “Disappointed, was just carrying out my Covid take to,” he says, “it is negative, thus that’s great.”
It’s the most recent good news in a good blast of a good information getting EJ whose unbelievable indoor year gave cure for an incredible outdoor seasons towards the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Game merely weeks away.
Obiena features many times broken federal details and skyrocketed himself on the top of the podium more world champion Sam Kendricks and you will Olympic silver medallist Thiago Braz.
To the Obiena place a different Filipino list of 5.85m, effective the fresh Diving and you will Fly battle in the Mossingen, Germany, one to mark surpassed their own list of five.81 he set in inside Chiari, Italy – a mark one produced your the first Filipino so you can be eligible for Tokyo 2020.
Exclusive! EJ Obiena establishes landscapes to your Philippines’ basic ever Olympic silver: “That is the mission”
The newest Olympic postponement gave Obiena per year working much harder and increase now he or she is climbing steadily for the magic 6m draw, putting himself from the reckoning with the podium in the rescheduled in the summertime away from 2021.
So it pole-vaulter ‘s the satisfaction of Filipino track-and-field in fact it is in no doubt from the his purpose in the Tokyo Games:
“Earn the latest silver, that’s all son. Which is a very hard purpose to achieve, but that’s the goal. This is why I am creating all of this, not to ever rating 2nd and never to obtain third. so you’re able to win they.” – EJ Obiena
Is always to Obiena do so however end up being the earliest ever before Filipino so you’re able to victory an Olympic silver medal, permanently composing his name to your Olympic lore out-of a country excited about sport.
Continue reading for this exclusive interviews to the Philippine eagle, of his Olympic is designed to the latest Filipino dinner the guy misses (Eg new coconut liquid, mangoes and you will Jollibbee!), exactly how Covid almost made him give up and you can go homeward, with his 75-year-old advisor Vitaly Petrov whom sure him to keep heading.
I together with hear about exactly how the guy looks after their psychological state far from home, the fresh members of the family he could be made, their spouse that also an athlete, and the daunting help the guy seems off Filipinos all over.
How high normally EJ Obiena go?
5.62m (5th) within Karlsruhe Industry Indoor Trip, 5.80m (1st) in the ISTAF Berlin, 5.68m (1st) in the Dortmund, 5.60m (5th) in the WA interior Concert tour Gold during the Lievin, 5.86m (2nd) from the Orlen Cup in the Lodz, 5.80m (3rd) at the Copernicus Glass, Torun.
Today he has got their places set on the newest Far eastern list from 5.93, but for EJ it isn’t exactly about the fresh new amounts.
“Therefore i fully grasp this top mission height that we need to achieve however, at the same time not every race gifts the latest chance for that build one club, you are sure that. When it comes to competition, I focus regarding the latest club that’s lay today.
“Entering competition, considering the brand new checklist and you will anybody jumps more one to checklist, you might be generally such as for example, oh s. I have to plunge greater than one?
“And so i believe an informed version of psychology entering competition simply that i must be he just who jumps higher than the rest of the job. I run effective the meets.”
His outdoor season began impressively when he cleaned 5.80 in order to ideal the brand new podium within the June, then he removed that Olympic basic once again from the 2021 FBK Games throughout the Netherlands, in which the guy stepped up towards the podium trailing just Mondo, which Tadzjikistani kvinnor dejta removed six.10m.
