World No. 2 EJ Obiena riding on bumpy road ahead of Paris Games
WITH less than a week before the Paris Olympics gets unveiled, Filipino pole-vaulter EJ Obiena has alarmingly admitted he may be encountering some problems leading to his Olympic quest.
If you had asked me a year ago how I would envision the ‘perfect’ Olympic preparation, well it certainly wouldn’t be what has transpired,” Mr. Obiena recently posted on his social media account.
“It has been what can only be termed a bumpy road for me this season.”
“Despite my best efforts at conditioning, fitness and discipline, I have been battling with various physical problems since April,” he added.
The World No. 2 and Asian champion did not specifically mention what exactly has bothered him this season, but he stressed he has done everything to keep his worries in check while keeping him on track as he plunges into action in the French capital.
“I know and fully understand this can happen to athletes training at such intensity and no complaints, but why now? This has meant constant stops and stitching training and competition together with my team as we could,” said Mr. Obiena.
“I have undergone in the past months, weeks and days a variety of medical procedures, to hopefully give myself the best shot at the Olympic Games.”
It does explain why Mr. Obiena has been intriguingly in a rollercoaster ride the past few competitions, the last of which was in the Paris Leg of the Diamond League where he managed just a fourth-place finish.
There were some struggles leading to that.
But it was all blamed to his old, broken poles that was immediately addressed by Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association President Terry Capistrano, who sent in a couple of new sets of sticks that Mr. Obiena had already received.
Now this.
Mr. Obiena, however, vowed to give it everything to achieve his goal of delivering the country’s first Olympic medal in the sport since Miguel White’s 400-meter hurdles bronze in the 1936 Berlin Games.
“Am I feeling confident with my preparation? Well, definitely not as much as I would like. Am I doing the best I can each day? Yes and most definitely yes. Not what I wanted but we’re still standing and I still have a few more days to prepare and sharpen,” he said.
“I know these things happen. All athletes at an Olympic level deal with such adversities. I know not everything is in my control. I am an optimist by nature. Can I perform at the highest level”? Yes, I believe I can.” — Joey Villar
