Obiena sets sights–and everything else–on pole vault gold
EJ Obiena has made it quite an obsession to shoot for the stars every time he soars to clear the bar.
His target? Whatever it takes to strike gold in the Paris Olympics.
“If it’s more than six meters (to win the gold), so be it,’’ said Obiena.
That’s why every part of his preparation is geared toward his goal.
“Anything that I do should lead up to Paris,’’ said Obiena as he counts the days until Aug. 3, when the pole vault qualification kicks off.
And Obiena, hands-down Asia’s best in the event and the world’s No. 2 in the discipline, needs to show up in his finest form ever on the grand finale on Aug. 5 at the Games’ hub inside the 81,000-seat Stade de France.
“I have to be fully ready on that day. Physically, I should be capable of doing what needs to be done,’’ said Obiena.
Personal best
Should the 6-foot-2 Filipino pole vault celebrity clear his personal best of six meters first achieved last year in the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway to seal a golden finish for the Philippines at the global sports spectacle?
Or should Obiena target the 6.24m world record of Sweden’s Armand Duplantis to guarantee himself of immortality?
It all hinges on how the top contenders led by Duplantis, the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist and reigning two-time world champion, perform and play their cards.
“It’s hard. But it is what it is. What’s important is I’m committed and I’m willing to do what I need to do,’’ said Obiena.
Over six meters was the standard for the top podium winners the previous two Olympics. Duplantis cleared 6.02 in winning the gold in Tokyo while Brazil’s Thiago Braz ruled the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games at home with a 6.03 effort.
Asian champ
Obiena got to measure himself against the tough field in his last tournament before the Olympics at the Meeting de Paris, a Diamond League leg, where the two-time Asian champion finished joint fourth last Sunday.
Duplantis topped the event, his 10th gold medal in as many events this year where he cleared past six meters. Sam Kendricks of the United States pocketed the silver with a season-best 5.95m and Thibaut Collet claimed the bronze (5.85m).
Obiena cleared 5.75m and wound up tied with Emmanouil Karalis in missing the podium.
Other world-class vaulters in the Paris meet included world No. 4 Chris Nilsen and No. 5 Kurtis Marschall of Australia.
But all eyes will be on the machine-like Duplantis, who has owned the sport for the last few years.
“I know he’s (Duplantis) training. You don’t become the greatest of all time if you’re lax. He knows what he needs to do. I just try to make sure my chances are as high as possible,’’ said Obiena.
Obiena fumbled in his Olympic debut in Tokyo after ending up 11th. He ranks second in the world now, and if there’s a short list of athletes capable of scoring an upset in Paris, the Filipino should be one of them. INQ
