EJ Obiena Perseveres

By Ralph Hardy

Google Ernest John Obiena and then click “images.” The Filipino Diamond League winner with a 5.94 (19’5”) PR has transformed his body from that of a lean and sinewy hurdler to a muscular pole vaulter, with broad shoulders and rippling arms. And then you notice the smile – one of pure joy.

Now ranked #3 in the world and the Asian record holder, Obiena had a 2022 season for the ages. But to think his success came overnight is a mistake. Years of slow progression and training thousands of miles from home, the purgatory of going unsponsored, and a devastating injury nearly derailed him.

EJ vaulted from an early age, but hurdles were his first love. When EJ didn’t qualify for the Philippine regional hurdling championships, he decided to devote himself to the pole vault, where he won a scholarship to the University of Santo Tomas. The speed and precision required for hurdling translated well to the pole vault runway.

In early 2014, EJ stood in line to meet Sergey Bubka, hoping for an autograph. EJ got the autograph, but even better, he was invited to train with Bubka’s coach, Sergey Petrov, in Formia, Italy, for three months. Later that year, EJ broke the Philippine national record, with a vault of 5.01m (16’4”) and set the junior national record as well, as he was still only 18 years old. His annus mirabilis continued as he broke his own record several times, ultimately vaulting 5.21, just over 17 feet.

The vaulting community noticed.

The following year, EJ raised his PR to 5.25m, placing second in the Southeast Asian Games. He won gold at the 2016 Philippine National Games with a vault of 5.47 m, overcoming the greatest fear of any vaulter, a broken pole. The future looked golden.

But pole vaulting can be cruel and no one escapes unscathed. The day before he was to leave for the 2017 Southeast Asian games, he tore his ACL on a botched landing. An injury like that requires surgery, and six months of recovery. And EJ was still unsponsored.

EJ considered retirement, perhaps getting a real job. He returned to school to work towards his degree, walking to class in his cast. He assiduously followed his knee rehab program. After months of grueling rehabilitation, EJ began performing the pre-vault drills we all know and love to hate: three-step stiff poles, fly-aways, and stay behinds. His knee held up and soon he was flying again.

In 2019, with a gold at the 2019 Summer Universiade, EJ established another Philippine national record of 5.76m, and then achieved every pole vaulters’ dream: qualifying for the 2020 Olympics by soaring over the qualifying height of 5.81m at a pole vault meet in Italy. And, say it with me: set another national record. At the 2019 World Athletic Championships, he placed 15th out of 35 competitors, but failed to make the finals. Still, 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics loomed.

Global travel restrictions kept EJ in Italy for months. There he continued to train under the guidance of Petrov, as well as the American conditioning coach and business CEO Jim Lafferty, preparing for Tokyo.

Having already qualified for the Olympics, EJ prepared for the biggest event of his career. The media demands intensified. Track and field is barely on the radar of Filipino sports consciousness, but the charismatic and photogenic Obiena was on every sports page in this sports-mad nation. Finally, he arrived in Tokyo. Competing in Asia before thousands of fans in the stadium and maybe all 111 million Filipino compatriots watching, EJ made the finals and finished tied for 11th, vaulting 5.70m. Not bad.

As many unsatisfied Olympic athletes do, he kept competing, and at the Golden Roof Challenge, in Innsbruck, Austria, he finished in first place with a vault of 5.93m (19’5”), setting again the Asian record. Next, he traveled to Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon and won bronze with a vault of 5.94m, becoming the first Filipino to win a medal of any kind at the World Championships, ever.

Then there was Brussels. At the Brussels Diamond League event on September 2, 2022, EJ took on the best vaulters in the world once again. We’re talking Lavillenie, Nilsen, Braz, Broeders, Guttormsen and Koppelar. Oh, and some guy called Mondo. EJ won by ten centimeters over Mondo and by another 10 centimeters over Chris Nilsen, the Olympic silver medalist.

That just isn’t done. But don’t tell EJ. He’s soaring still--on the cover of Esquire Philippines and nearly every media outlet in the country. Still, the humble pole vaulter took the time to answer some questions from TAKEOFF.

TAKEOFF: You are considered a “national treasure” in the Philippines. What does that mean to you?

EJ: I haven’t fully comprehended what it entails. I just try to do my best in what I do and feel very blessed to be appreciated by my home country.

TAKEOFF: When 2022 started did you have any idea you would have such a magical season?

EJ: I don’t think there was ever a point in the season where it looked like it was going to be great. Battling issues and contracting covid mid-season were not the signs I was hoping for.

TAKEOFF: 6 meters seems to be on the horizon. What will it take to achieve that height?

EJ: Be more consistent and continue to improve my vaulting one day at a time to better my chances at achieving 6m.

TAKEOFF: You’ve lived in Formia, Italy for the last three years to be near your coach. What has that been like being so far away from your family?

EJ: It is a journey. I would love to have my family close to me, but the reality is that my coach and the circuit is based in Europe. I need to pay the price to achieve my dream.

TAKEOFF: What’s the most difficult part about being on the pro track and field circuit?

EJ: Starting is the most difficult. Getting into the big meets and consistently performing at a high level is mentally and physically exhausting.

TAKEOFF: What does a typical training week look like?

EJ: My daily schedule is quite repetitive. I wake up, prepare my breakfast, eat, rest for 30 minutes, go to the track, prepare for training, warm up, train. Then, I eat lunch at the training center, rest for an hour or two before the next training session, which starts at 3PM or 4PM and finish around 8PM. I eat dinner at the training center, go back home, take a shower, sleep. I do that 6 days a week, sometimes 7.

TAKEOFF: How do you prepare yourself physically and mentally for a challenging line-up of meets?

EJ: I trust my coach and his program.

It takes a lot from me physically but with the right preparation and mindset, performing well is possible.

TAKEOFF: Who were your track and field idols growing up?

EJ: Sergey Bubka has always been a guy I looked up to growing up. He was the god of pole vault.

As I grew older, I started to watch lots of Tim Mack’s jumps and became a fan of him as well.

TAKEOFF: You were unsponsored in 2021 and faced knee surgery without the funds to pay for it. I understand that your coach Vitaly Petrov and your alma mater Chiang Kai Shek College helped pay for it. What emotions were running through your mind during that period?

EJ: Emotionally I was destroyed and physically I was struggling. I was sad and worried about my future. Having all of it happening at the same time was overwhelmingly negative. I needed pillars to lean on and to have a shred of hope that the future was worth fighting for.

TAKEOFF: Do you think your success will inspire younger Filipino athletes to pursue track and field?

EJ: I hope so. Track and Field is not that big in Philippines but it is slowly gaining traction. I hope I can inspire more kids to try pole vault and experience what I have experienced through the sport.

TAKEOFF: What is your “go-topole?”

EJ: Any pole that makes the bar.

TAKEOFF: What advice would you give to young pole vaulters?

EJ: Have fun and enjoy the journey.