Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena only bankrupt new federal list (again): The guy discussions Tokyo Olympics, Mondo Duplantis, and you will effect this new love from the Philippines within our personal cam.
EJ Obiena are smiling as he pops up toward videocall. “Disappointed, was only doing my Covid try,” he states, “it’s bad, so that is very good news.”
Simple fact is that newest great into the a powerful stream of good information to own EJ whoever amazing interior 12 months gave treatment for an amazing outdoor 12 months toward Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games only weeks out.
Obiena features repeatedly broken national info and you will skyrocketed themselves on the the top podium more business champion Sam Kendricks and Olympic silver medallist Thiago Braz.
On the Obiena place an alternative Filipino record of five.85m, profitable this new Jump and you will Fly race in the Mossingen, Germany, you to draw surpassed his personal list of 5.81 which he set in from inside the Chiari, Italy – a dot one produced your the first Filipino to qualify for Tokyo 2020.
The fresh new Olympic postponement has given Obiena a year to function more difficult and you will go higher now he is hiking gradually toward miracle 6m draw, placing himself regarding reckoning into podium during the rescheduled in the summertime away from 2021.
Which pole-vaulter ‘s the pride from Filipino track-and-field and that is when you look at the definitely regarding the his mission during the Tokyo Games:
“Winnings the gold, that’s all guy. That is a really hard purpose to achieve, but that’s the goal. This is why I’m carrying out all this, to not ever get second and not locate third. so you’re able to profit it.” – EJ Obiena
Is always to Obiena exercise he would get to be the very first ever before Filipino to winnings an Olympic gold medal, permanently writing their name on Olympic lore regarding a country excited about sport.
Read on for it personal interview toward Philippine eagle, away from their Olympic will the newest Filipino restaurants the guy misses (Instance fresh coconut h2o, mangoes and Jollibbee!), how Covid almost made him stop trying and you can go homeward, and his awesome 75-year-old advisor Vitaly Petrov which convinced him to save going.
We plus discover just how the guy looks after their mental health away from your home, the brand new loved ones he or she is generated, their girlfriend that has together with an athlete, additionally the overwhelming support the guy seems regarding Filipinos everywhere.
5.62m (5th) at Karlsruhe World Interior Journey, 5.80m (1st) within ISTAF Berlin, 5.68m (1st) in the Dortmund, 5.60m (5th) during the WA indoor Concert tour Gold during the Lievin, 5.86m (2nd) on Orlen Cup from inside the Lodz, 5.80m (3rd) on Copernicus Mug, Torun.
Now he’s his views set on the fresh new Far eastern record from 5.93, however for EJ its not everything about new numbers.
“Therefore i fully grasp this level objective peak which i have to get to but at the same time not every race merchandise the newest chance of that build you to pub, you understand. When it comes to battle, We interest much more about the newest bar that’s put today.
“Starting competition, when you consider the newest list and you will someone leaps more than one list, you might be fundamentally for example, oh s. I must plunge higher than one?
“And so i believe an educated kind of psychology entering race is merely which i should be the guy who jumps greater than the rest of the field. https://gorgeousbrides.net/pt/ukrainian-charm/ I work with winning the fresh new fits.”
Their backyard year began amazingly when he cleaned 5.80 in order to ideal the fresh new podium in the June, he then eliminated you to definitely Olympic standard once again in the 2021 FBK Games on the Netherlands, in which he stepped up for the podium trailing simply Mondo, exactly who removed six.10m.