EJ Obiena misses World Indoor Athletics
FILIPINO STAR pole-vaulter EJ Obiena will not be able to make the cut to the World Indoor Athletics Championships set from March 21 to 23 in Nanjing, China.
But expect the World No. 4 to return with a vengeance in the upcoming outdoor season.
“With limited time to return this indoor season, my results have been far from consistent,” said Mr. Obiena via his social media accounts. “Even though there is still time to qualify for the World Indoor Champion-ships, there are no more competitions left for me to participate in.”
“With this, I would inevitably miss the championships,” he added.
The standard qualification clearance is 5.85 meters (m) and the deadline for it is Sunday.
Mr. Obiena is set to compete in the Mondo Classic scheduled next week in Uppsala, Sweden where he would come face-to-face with the sport’s mightiest of all — Armand Duplantis.
The 29-year-old Asian champion and record-holder did try but his best was only 5.8 m in a meet in Torun, Poland where he ended up with the gold.
Mr. Obiena vowed to give it his all in the outdoor season.
“I will hence prioritize and prepare for the outdoor competition. This is when I would represent the country in the World Championships, Asian Championships and the SEA Games,” he said.
“The key is to go into the outdoor season healthy and ready to compete at the highest level.” — Joey Villar
