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EJ Obiena

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In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Uy and the surname or paternal family name is Obiena.

Ernest John Uy Obiena (born November 17, 1995[3][4]) is a Filipino pole vaulter. He is currently ranked world No. 3 in men's pole vault by the 2024 World Athletics Rankings.[5][6]

EJ Obiena
Obiena in 2022
Personal information
Full nameErnest John Uy Obiena
NicknameEJ
NationalityFilipino
Born (1995-11-17) November 17, 1995 (age 29)
Tondo, Manila, Philippines[1]
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese蔡華強
Simplified Chinese蔡华强
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinCài Huáqiáng
Southern Min
Hokkien POJChhòa Hôa-kiông
Sport
CountryPhilippines
SportTrack and field
EventPole vaulting
College teamAteneo de Manila University
University of Santo Tomas
Coached byEmerson Obiena
Vitaly Petrov (2014)
Achievements and titles
Highest world rankingNo. 2 (2023)
Personal bests
  • Pole vault: 6.00m (2023, NR and AR)
  • 110 m hurdles 14.39 (2017)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing the  Philippines
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
World Athletics Championships 0 1 1
Asian Games 1 0 0
Asian Athletics Championships 2 0 1
Universiade 1 0 0
Southeast Asian Games 3 1 0
Total 7 2 2
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Budapest Pole vault
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Eugene Pole vault
Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Hangzhou Pole vault
Asian Athletics Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Doha Pole vault
Gold medal – first place 2023 Bangkok Pole vault
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Bhubaneswar Pole vault
Universiade
Gold medal – first place 2019 Naples Pole vault
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal – first place 2019 Philippines Pole vault
Gold medal – first place 2021 Vietnam Pole vault
Gold medal – first place 2023 Cambodia Pole vault
Silver medal – second place 2015 Singapore Pole vault

Obiena currently holds the Asian record with his clearance of 6.00 meters at the 2023 World Athletics Championships where he won the silver medal.[7] He also holds the Philippine national record with a clearance of 5.93 meters at the Golden Rooftop Challenge in Innsbruck, Austria on September 11, 2021.[8] Obiena is the current champion and record holder (5.90 m) of the Asian Games. He is also the two-time defending champion and current record holder (5.91 m) in the Asian Athletics Championships and three-time defending champion and current record holder (5.65 m) in the SEA Games. He also won the gold medal in the 2019 Summer Universiade held in Naples, Italy and has competed in the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics.

Obiena is the first Filipino to receive a scholarship from the International Athletic Association Federation (IAAF).[1][9]

Early life and education

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Obiena was born to track and field athletes Emerson Obiena and Jeanette Uy, a former hurdler[10] both parents of Chinese Filipino heritage on November 17, 1995, in Tondo, Manila.[1][3] Obiena attended Chiang Kai Shek College, a Chinese Filipino school for his secondary education, and later entered the University of Santo Tomas for his undergraduate studies.[10]

Triple jumper and Technische Universität Berlin student from Berlin, Caroline Joyeux (born March 26, 2001)[11] is his girlfriend he dated since 2022.[12]

Pole vault career

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Early years

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Obiena first took up pole vaulting when he was eight years old, but initially focused on hurdles. His father, Emerson Obiena served as his coach until he was 18 years old.[13] Obiena competed in the 100 and 400 meter hurdles events for his high school, Chiang Kai Shek College.[10] Unable to qualify for regional meets, he decided to return to pole vaulting when he was in his last years in high school, in a bid to secure a college scholarship.[13]

In college, Obiena started his career at Ateneo de Manila University where he played one season[14] before transferring to University of Santo Tomas, where he competed for them at the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).[10]

National team

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Obiena (right) at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships.

In early 2014, Obiena was able to meet Ukrainian pole vaulter Sergey Bubka who was visiting the Philippines. Originally, he only intended to get an autograph from Bubka, but learned from him of an opportunity to train in Italy.[13] In the same year for three months, Obiena travelled to Italy to train under coach Vitaly Petrov in Formia, who also previously coached Bubka.[15] On July 20, 2014, at the PATAFA weekly relays held at the PhilSports Football and Athletics Stadium, Obiena broke the national record for pole vault by registering 5.01 meters. The previous record was 5.0 meters by Edward Lasquete at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. The junior national record was also broken, since Obiena at that time was still 18 years old. The previous record was 4.31 meters set three years before.[15]

He later broke his own record several times in 2014 alone (5.05, 5.05, 5.15, 5.20, 5.21). By the time Obiena became ineligible for the national junior record, the record was 5.21 which Obiena set himself.[citation needed]

In the 2015 Southeast Asian Games, Obiena won a silver medal with a leap of 5.25 meters, then his personal record.[16]

Obiena won a gold medal in the 2016 Philippine National Games Finals in Lingayen, Pangasinan after breaking a new personal record (5.47 meters), despite problems with a broken pole.[citation needed]

Obiena won gold in the men's pole vault event at the 2019 Summer Universiade[17] setting a new national record of 5.76 meters. He secured a berth in the 2020 Summer Olympics by surpassing the qualifying standard by making a 5.81 meters height in a tournament in Chiara, Italy on September 3, 2019. The height was also a national record.[18]

At the 2019 World Athletics Championships he failed to advance to the final round by finishing 15th out of 35 entrants through his 5.60 meters finish. [citation needed]

The COVID-19 pandemic caused the postponement of the Olympics and travel restrictions imposed by countries in response to the health crisis posed logistical issues to Obiena's preparations. For most of 2020, Obiena spent his time training in Formia, Italy, and was unable to go back to the Philippines during the Christmas season. He trained under American conditioning coach James Michael Lafferty and Nutritionist Carol Lafferty; along with Brazilian Thiago Braz as his training partner.[19] Competing in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Obiena managed to advance to the final of the pole vault competition but failed to make the podium.[20]

Obiena set a then Asian record in pole vault when he lifted his best vault all the way to 5.93 meters at the International Golden Roof Challenge in Innsbruck, Austria on September 12, 2021. He won the tournament.[21] This record was later broken on July 25, 2022, when Obiena lifted his best vault all the way to 5.94 meters at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, United States. He won a bronze medal, becoming the first Filipino to win a medal in the tournament.[22]

In June 2023, Obiena cleared 6 meters for the first time at the Sparebanken Vest Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway also resetting the Asian record.[23] He was able to accomplish said feat due to shifting to a 20-step technique from the previous 18-steps approach.[24] He was then ranked world No. 2 in men's pole vault by the 2023 World Athletics Rankings, just behind Armand Duplantis.[25]

Competing in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Obiena advanced to the finals after ranking 7th in the qualification round. He finished fourth in the overall competition at 5.90 meters.[26][27] He was then ranked world No. 3 in the 2024 World Athletics Rankings.[6] Obiena would decide to sit out for the rest of the 2024 season due to his back injury after the Athletissima of the 2024 Diamond League.[28]

Coaches

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Obiena has trained under coach Vitaly Petrov since 2014. Obiena's coaching team includes his father, Emerson Obiena, mentor James Michael Lafferty, physiotherapist Francesco Viscusi, osteopath Antonio Guglietta, nutritionist Carol Lafferty and sport psychologist Dr. Sheryll Casuga.[29]

Dispute with PATAFA

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Main article: Ernest John Obiena–PATAFA dispute

In November 2021, the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) publicly escalated an accounting dispute involving late payments to Obiena's coach, Vitaly Petrov. Petrov later denied there was any payment issue with Obiena.[30][31] Philippine Senators quickly came to Obiena's defense, calling unproven accusations "harassment" against an athlete considered a national treasure and passing a motion to recall the budget of the PSC. The Senators later approved the PSC budget with the condition that PATAFA will “rectify the grave injustice” done to Obiena's reputation. During congressional hearings, witnesses testified that PATAFA's payment system is broken.[32][33][34][35]

After an investigation by its Ethics Committee, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) declared PATAFA's president Philip Juico persona non grata for his role in the harassment of Obiena. The investigation of the POC's ethics committee concluded that Juico had harassed the athlete by making "malicious public accusations".[36][37]

On March 30, 2022, the Philippine Sports Commission announced that both parties reached an agreement during a mediation process. Obiena will be endorsed by PATAFA in any future competitions.[38]

Competition record

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Obiena competing at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest
 
Obiena at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China
Year Competition Venue Position Notes
Representing the   Philippines
2013 Southeast Asian Games Naypyidaw, Myanmar 4th 4.90 m
2015 Southeast Asian Games Singapore 2nd 5.25 m
2016 Asian Indoor Championships Doha, Qatar 4th 5.40 m
2017 Asian Championships Bhubaneswar, India 3rd 5.50 m
2018 Asian Games Jakarta, Indonesia 7th 5.30 m
2019 Asian Championships Doha, Qatar 1st 5.71 m
Southeast Asian Games Philippines 5.45 m
Universiade Naples, Italy 5.76 m
World Championships Doha, Qatar 15th (q) 5.60 m
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 11th 5.70 m
2022 Southeast Asian Games Vietnam 1st 5.46 m
World Championships Eugene, Oregon 3rd 5.94 m
2023 Southeast Asian Games Phnom Penh, Cambodia 1st 5.65 m
Asian Championships Bangkok, Thailand 1st 5.91 m
World Championships Budapest, Hungary 2nd 6.00 m
Asian Games Hangzhou, China 1st 5.90 m
2024 World Indoor Championships Glasgow, United Kingdom 9th 5.65 m
Olympic Games Paris, France 4th 5.90 m

Awards and accolades

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Obiena breaks PH's 100-year gold-medal drought in Asian pole vault". The Manila Times. May 20, 2019.
  2. ^ "OBIENA Ernest John". Paris 2024 Olympics. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Ernest John OBIENA | Profile | World Athletics".
  4. ^ Giongco, Nick (February 23, 2016). "Obiena places 4th, fails Olympic bid". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  5. ^ "Men's Pole Vault 2024". World Athletics Organization. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "EJ Obiena slips to no. 3 in world rankings". www.gmanetwork.com. August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  7. ^ "Pole Vault Final Results". World Athletics. August 26, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  8. ^ Delfin Dioquino (September 12, 2021). "EJ Obiena breaks Asian record, bags gold in Austria". rappler.com. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "Before each leap of faith, Tokyo 2020-bound EJ Obiena is calm under pressure". ABS-CBN News.
  10. ^ a b c d Reyes, Marc Anthony (February 12, 2017). "Height of brilliance". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  11. ^ Bravo, Frances Karmel (August 14, 2024). "Who is Caroline Joyeux, EJ Obiena's German athlete girlfriend?". www.pep.ph. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  12. ^ Purnell, Kristofer (August 14, 2024). "EJ Obiena's girlfriend Caroline Joyeux shares Paris Olympics experience". The Philippine Star. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c "How Sergey Bubka set EJ Obiena on pole vaulter's Olympic dream". GMA News. July 3, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  14. ^ Navarro, June (April 27, 2014). "EJ Obiena to train under pole vault great Bubka". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Villar, Joey (July 21, 2014). "Obiena breaks 22-year-old PHL pole vault record". The Philippine Star. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  16. ^ Terrado, Reuben (January 4, 2016). "EJ Obiena set to complete pole vault training in Poland, looks to qualify for Rio through Doha tilt". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  17. ^ Terrado, Reuben (July 13, 2019). "EJ Obiena captures gold medal in Summer Universiade in Italy". Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  18. ^ Malanum, Jean (September 4, 2019). "Pinoy pole vaulter Obiena earns 2020 Tokyo Olympics slot". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  19. ^ Pedralvez, Manolo (January 24, 2021). "Tokyo Olympics: Don't be surprised if vaulter Obiena wins medal, says trainer". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  20. ^ Lozada, Bong (August 3, 2021). "EJ Obiena ends Olympic bid, crashes out of men's pole vault final". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  21. ^ Dioquino, Delfin (September 12, 2021). "EJ Obiena breaks Asian record, bags gold in Austria". Rappler. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  22. ^ Dioquino, Delfin (July 25, 2022). "EJ Obiena resets Asian record to claim historic bronze in World Athletics Championships". rappler.com. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  23. ^ Valderrama, Aeron Paul (June 10, 2023). "EJ Obiena shatters six-meter barrier, secures gold at Bergen Jump Challenge". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  24. ^ Maningat, Raul (June 12, 2023). "EJ Obiena reveals technique that paved way for record-breaking 6-meter jump". One Sport. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  25. ^ Mantaring, Jelo Ritzhie (July 23, 2023). "EJ Obiena vaults to number 2 in world rankings". CNN Philippines. CNN. Archived from the original on July 23, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  26. ^ "EJ Obiena shakes off nerve-racking start to reach Olympic pole vault final". Rappler. August 3, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  27. ^ Caramoan, Miguel Alfonso (August 6, 2024). "Philippines at the Olympics: EJ Obiena finishes fourth in the men's pole vault". ESPN. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
  28. ^ Villanueva, Ralph Edwin (August 28, 2024). "Obiena out for rest of year due to back injury". The Philippine Star. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  29. ^ "EJ mom confident son has mental battle handled". inquirer.net. August 2, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  30. ^ "Patafa orders Obiena to return financial assistance". Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 21, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  31. ^ Yumol, David Tristan (November 21, 2021). "EJ Obiena denies not paying Ukrainian coach, threatens to 'immediately' retire". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  32. ^ Torregoza, Hannah (November 24, 2021). "Senators want PSC's budget for Patafa removed if 'harassment' vs EJ Obiena persists". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  33. ^ "EJ Obiena's patron hits at 'broken system' in PATAFA row". Rappler. December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  34. ^ "Obiena-Patafa row deeply concerning". The Manila Times. December 5, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  35. ^ "The High Road". The Philippine Star. December 18, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  36. ^ "POC declares Juico as persona non grata". The Manila Times. December 29, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  37. ^ "POC declares Patafa chief Philip Juico persona non grata after Obiena rift". The Manila Times. December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  38. ^ Terrado, Reuben (March 30, 2022). "EJ Obiena, Patafa reach agreement during PSC mediation". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  39. ^ "EJ Obiena gets nod as 2023 PSA Athlete of the Year". Spin.ph. January 1, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  40. ^ "National Artist Virgilio Almario writes poem for EJ Obiena, other Filipino athletes". ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs. August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
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