FILE–The Philippines’ EJ Obiena reacts as he competes in the lads’s pole vault final in the course of the World Athletics Championships on the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 26, 2023. (Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP)
Neck deep in his workouts in Italy, EJ Obiena is prepping for a giant tournament that’s the preview of the 2024 Paris Olympics, with the the World Athletics Indoor Championships scheduled March 1 to March 3 in Glasgow, Scotland, to offer the Filipino a gauge of how he stacks up against the competition within the Summer Games.
“Straight away, I’m attempting to be stronger, faster, jump somewhat bit higher than last yr,’’ said Obiena in a Zoom call in the course of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Awards Night on Monday evening, where the world’s No. 2 vaulter was the unanimous alternative because the group’s Athlete of the Yr. He was forced to skip the event because of coaching in Italy.
“I stand here, truly humbled by this award, arguably probably the most prestigious award any Filipino athlete can get, an award I’ve dreamed way back in 2017, my first PSA [Awards] Night,’’ said Obiena.
The trophy of the Asian Games, Southeast Asian Games and Asian championships gold medalist was received by his parents, former Filipino pole vault king Emerson and Jeanette Obiena.
“This award suggests perhaps, to some extent, I’ve been successful within the mission, not in pole vaulting, but in leveraging my craft to assist shape a greater Philippines, and I’d say, a stronger Philippines,’’ he added.
Top-caliber meets
Obiena is about to make the leap in the continuing world athletics indoor season in a matter of days with several top-caliber meets lined up in his buildup for the worldwide indoor champs.
His team has yet to make known the tournaments where Obiena will take part in on his option to Glasgow, but quite a few meets to select from are on the World Athletics calendar in February.
Obiena is a daily in these tournaments in previous years starting with the Istaf Indoor in Dusseldorf, Germany, on Feb. 4, the Mondo Classic in Uppsala, Sweden, and the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland, each of which will likely be concurrently held on Feb. 6.
Also on this system next month are the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Lieven, France (Feb. 10), Stabhochsprung Stars 2024 in Frauenfeld, Switzerland (Feb. 11) and the Perche En Or in Roubaix, France (Feb. 14).
The Istaf Indoor 2024 in Berlin (Feb. 23) and the Perche Elite Tour in Rouen, France (Feb. 24) will likely be every week before the world championships where Obiena could again face his fiercest rivals since his silver medal within the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, in August 2023.
Back then, world champion Armand “Mondo’’ Duplantis of Sweden retained his title in Budapest while Australia’s Kurtis Marschall placed third within the worlds.
Duplantis, the reigning Olympic champion and world record-holder, began his season with a victory within the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold in Astana, Kazakhstan, over the weekend.
With no Southeast Asian Games, Asian championships and even a world outdoor champs this yr, Obiena will campaign mostly in Europe on the road to Paris. INQ
