Being disappointed in yourself after failing is natural for anyone. Usually, we brush it off and move on with our lives. Would it still be that easy if you let down your country by not meeting their expectations? EJ Obiena reset his national record and broke a 23-year-old Asian Pole Vault record, all in less than a month after possibly the biggest failure in his career so far — failing all three attempts to win a medal in the Olympics. The athlete proved once again to the world and himself why he deserved to be an Olympian.
Ernest John Uy Obiena, more commonly known as “EJ Obiena,” is a Filipino pole vaulter. He caught the world’s attention for his skillful and talented performances in the pole-vaulting world. Despite all the feats he has achieved in his career, the most recent Olympics was an exception. Multiple pole vaulters in this year’s Olympics were unable to join due to COVID-19 infection, giving Obiena a chance to have a podium finish. However, on the day of his event, he said, “I wasn’t myself.” The athlete failed all three chances to leap past the 5.80-meter mark, which was way below his personal best and the national record of 5.87 meters that he reached around two months before the Olympiad.
Less than a month later, the Filipino athlete redeemed himself in the Paris Diamond League. He reset his previous national record with a 5.91-meter leap. Obiena bagged a silver behind the Olympic champion Armand Duplantis. Two weeks later, he proved his skills once again at the Golden Roof Challenge in Austria. This time, not only did he reset his national record for the second time in the span of two weeks, but he also broke the 23-year-old Asian Record of 5.92 meters held by Igor Potapovich, with the new record of 5.93 meters.
When the pole vaulter was interviewed after breaking the records, he said, “I just needed to have some kind of sign that I am actually capable, I’m actually good, I’m actually able to do all of this that I have set out to do.”
Because of his successful performance in the event, Obiena gained confidence in himself and his skills again. He also continued saying, “I needed to assert to myself that [the Olympics] was a fluke, that wasn’t me, that wasn’t who I am, that wasn’t what I have been working for.”
The 25-year-old still isn’t sure what the future holds for him. “I don’t have a plan yet. I don’t even know if I’m gonna be vying for that 2024,” says the athlete in an interview after his first participation in the quadrennial event. Although he has said that his plans are still up in the air, we hope to see his return representing our country once again in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This time around, we’re hoping for a more favorable outcome for the determined athlete.
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