Filipino pole vault sensation EJ Obiena cleared 5.71 meters to win the gold medal and beat two Chinese foes on Easter Sunday in the 23rd Asian Athletics Championship in Doha, Qatar at the Khalifa stadium.In doing so, the 23-year-old Obiena set a new course record and a new Philippine mark as well, in getting past the last attempts of Chinese bets Zhang Wei and Huang Bokai.
Zhang and Huang both cleared 5.66 meters, after the Filipino bet had done well at 5.61 meters.
As Zhang missed his three tries at 5.71 meters, and Bokai bungled two tries at that height, Obiena managed to clear it right in his first and only attempt.
The two Chinese vaulters eventually settled for the silver and bronze medals, while Korean Jin Minsub, who cleared 5.61 meters, was fourth.
A new Asian Championship course record was set after Obiena ended a 10-year drought in the pole vault as he went a centimeter beyond the 5.7-meter mark set by Grigory Yegorov of Kazakhstan in the 1993 Asian Championships in Manila.
Obiena also broke the previous national record he held at 5.6 meters, which was set in the Stabhochspring Classic in Leverkeusen, Germany two years ago.
Observers also noted that Obiena’s effort went way beyond the gold medal finish of Thailand’s Porranot Purahong, who set a new Southeast Games record of 5.35 meters back in 2017.
Obiena was sidelined from the 2017 SEA Games due to injury, a day before the games. He was nursed back to good health right before the 2018 Asian Games.
“It took a lot and felt like hell sometimes. There have been times that I have lost hope. There are times that I have been frustrated. There have been a lot of heart breaks and pain in this journey. It was a piece of work to say the least,” said Obiena in a message on Facebook.
Obiena thanked Italian coach Vitaliy Petrov for his help.
He said Petrov “sacrificed a lot for me and pushed me and still pushing me to become better not just in sports but also in life.”
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association chief Philip Ella Juico said he is elated over Obiena’s feat.
“It was a vindication for Obiena, who was downgraded by the Philippine Sports Commission to a lower allowance category prior to leaving for Doha,” said Juico in another message.
