“I wasn’t able to perform the way I wanted to in Tokyo, and that took a big hit on my confidence,” he says with a serious look on his face. “It’s knowing deep inside that as an athlete, it doesn’t matter how good you can jump, it matters when you can jump it on the day that you need to. That’s sports. You need to bring the best game of your career on the biggest stage. To me, [my performance in Austria] was more than just a record that I have in my career.
EJ at the men's pole vault final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on August 3, 2021. Photo by Ben Stansall, AFPEJ’s father was a pole vaulter himself while his mom was a hurdler, so it’s no surprise that becoming an athlete was the natural track for the Obiena children to take. Emerson Obiena had a decade-long career in pole vaulting and won two silvers and two bronzes at the Southeast Asian Games. He also ranked sixth in the Asian meet. Mrs.
EJ’s younger sister, Emily, later on followed EJ’s footsteps. She represented UST for a time in the UAAP pole vaulting competitions and won multiple medals. But unlike EJ, she did not pursue athletics right after college and opted to venture in another career. EJ celebrates after his record-breaking performance last September 2 in Paris. Photo by Benoit Tessier, ReutersIt goes without saying that it’s important to have the physical strength and agility for pole vaulting. But EJ says that a pole vaulter needs to first and foremost be mentally strong. “It’s not a sport for the faint-hearted,” he says. “You go upside down five to six meters high, fling yourself over the crossbar using a stick.
The other challenge for EJ is very unique to the sport—traveling with the poles. “You see, the poles are five meters long and they don’t fold. They’re fragile,” he says. “It sounds petty but that was one of the biggest concerns that I had going to the Tokyo Olympics—getting my poles there. It was half the battle.”
“Every time I step on the track, I try to win. I was there in Tokyo to win a medal, and I’m going to the Summer Olympics in Paris with the same intention, same goal," says EJ. Photo by Benoit Tessier, ReutersChasing the dream of becoming an Olympic gold medalist entails sacrifices. In order to give his best shot in the competitions, he needs to completely focus on his training and take a leave from his studies.
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