EJ Obiena aims to bring ‘world-class’ pole vault meet to PH this year

EJ Obiena hopes to put a spotlight on his sport when he comes home to the Philippines as the Filipino athletics star organizes a pole vault competition right after his Paris Olympics stint

MANILA, Philippines – If things push through, Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena is set to compete locally for the first time in five years.

Obiena looks to bring a “world-class” competition to the Philippines as he and his team work on staging a pole vault meet at the Ayala Triangle Gardens on September 20, with hopes of putting a spotlight on the sport that propelled him to great heights.

Fresh from a fourth-place finish in the Paris Olympics, Obiena said he can now dedicate more time in planning the event, which is already sanctioned by the World Athletics.

“Definitely, that is one of the things that I’m putting my attention to now. And hopefully, you guys will have a world-class competition in the Philippines,” Obiena said in a virtual press conference on Wednesday, August 7.

In a previous interview, Obiena said he plans to invite the pole vaulters he went up against in the Olympic final, including Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis, China’s Huang Bokai, and Germany’s Oleg Zernikel.

Karalis edged Obiena for the bronze, while Sweden’s Armand Duplantis and the USA’s Sam Kendricks won gold and silver, respectively.

To make sure that “everything is up to standard,” Obiena and his team tapped a European consultant to oversee the operations.

“The surface that we’re using is the same as the surface here in the Paris Olympics,” said Obiena.

Obiena last competed in the Philippines when the country hosted the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, winning the first of his three straight titles in the biennial showpiece. – Rappler.com