Obiena-PATAFA dispute: Retaliation, world-class national athlete style

BY CHRISTLE ANN BERNARDO

Despite the mismanagement of World Number Three pole vaulter, Obiena emerged to secure his status in the Philippine and the greater Asian pole vault scene, thus achieving the best performance of his career yet.

Setting the bar to new heights has been the theme of Ernest John Obiena’s record-breaking stunts in pole vault; but at the same time, it seems his homeground is keen on setting the bar lower and lower — for Filipino athletes and medalists alike.

The Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) sparked chaos in the sporting community around this time last year, bearing sudden and surprising news of Obiena having liquidation and settlement issues with his coach, Vitaliy Petrov.

Although the dispute was settled with the Commission on Audit (COA) and the Philippine Sporting Commission (PSC), ultimately clearing the decorated pole vaulter of any faults, it was yet another grim chapter for national athletes — the spotlight is theirs, yes, but rather than a positive glow, it was a period in which a gleam of scrutiny shone.

The 26-year old Obiena, though seemingly unfazed, merely set foot, grabbed his pole and snatched back-to-back medals to propel himself to a golden age. After the controversies with PATAFA, Obiena came back as Asia’s best, named as World Number Three in his sport.

Obiena began his podium win-streak across Europe in the Taby Stavhoppsgala last June 28, ousting 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic gold medalist Thiago Braz from Brazil; posting 5.92 meters to take the gold.

Obiena would then take another gold in Germany’s Jump and Fly meet, four days after his stint in Sweden.

His most prominent competition that commenced in July, in Oregon, USA, was where he broke the 23-year old Asian record in the World Athletics Championships, nailing 5.94 meters in his second attempt to strike bronze. This made Obiena the first Filipino to win the coveted athletics meet, a victory that cemented his status as Asia’s best in pole vault and elevating his rank in the world’s top list, trailing behind USA’s Christopher Nilsen and the current World Number One, Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Armand Duplantis of Sweden.

From then, Obiena would take another bronze in Poland, in the Silesia Diamond League, and embark on a historic streak.

Obiena, with chalked hands, 20 years of jumping experience, and tenacity mighty enough to bring down two other pole vault giants, sprinted along the runway, jammed his pole, and lifted himself to ensure one podium finish after another.

Obiena soared past the horizontal bar and registered the winning height in five straight competitions: in the True Athletes Classics, the St. Wendel City Jump, the Internationales Stabhochsprung Meeting where he bested World Number Two Nilsen, and in the Golden Roof Challenge in Austria where he now holds the Asian record with 5.93 meters after erasing Kazakhstan’s Igor Potapovich’s 5.92-meter showing back in 1998.

The Diamond League Meet of Memorial van Damme in Belgium is one for the books as Obiena continued his golden streak and made World Number One, Olympic and World-record holder Duplantis settle for silver.

It was more than biting back at PATAFA, “...It’s hard to be an elite professional athlete, but it is truly harder to be a Filipino national athlete…” Obiena opened up in an interview with Esquire. Nevertheless, he performed with the lauded Filipino spirit that courses within Filipino athletes — the unrelenting drive that has been allowing them to persist despite wavering administrative support.

That’s not to say athletes like Wesley So and Yuka Saso who chose different paths are worthy of judgment or scrutiny; they are simply vivid examples of the state of sporting events, mismanagement, and the overall lack of sports structure commissions and government support.

Obiena had returned from his victorious USA and Europe stints to the country to rest before resuming his training for the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he is aiming to finally take home a coveted medal to raise the bar for Asian pole vault and of course, display historic feats as a Filipino pole vaulter, who, like all athletes, is worthy of emulation and honor that is backed with proper management and structured support.