The vault of life: EJ Obiena’s life as a national athlete

Ernest John “EJ” Obiena is one of the Philippines’ most recognizable athletes because of what he has contributed to pole vaulting in the country showcasing his dedication and passion.

Growing up in Tondo, a district in Manila which has a reputation for criminality and poverty, EJ sought to find ways to “make things work” in the dangerous district.

“If you ask me now, I think being nifty, being able to make things work, that is something that I was able to carry there [in Tondo],” attributing his resilience to his childhood district, Obiena said in an interview for ABS-CBN.

“Well, of course… having that inner asshole in me, knowing how to, you know, to growl and show my teeth when I need to, that definitely is there as well,” Obiena added.

Early life and the family

As a kid, EJ did not play in the streets much, citing that his neighborhood was “not the best” or safest place for a kid to grow up, but because both of his parents were athletes, his main playground was the Rizal Sports Complex.

“That’s where I play. I do a lot of different sports [like] long jump, hurdles… all the different things I can do in a track, collecting grass, stuff like that, it could be done,” Obiena said.

EJ held the pole at the early age of three to five years old, citing that he was being flung while holding onto the pole with assistance from his dad. EJ then started to jump alone at eight or nine years old.

For a time, EJ only saw pole vaulting as playtime, citing that he did not have ambitions to become an Olympic pole vaulter because its fun for him until his first competition in which he lost. He saw pole vaulting as a ticket to get to the top universities in Manila.

While growing up in a family of athletes whom EJ sought inspiration from; became the stepping stone for his athletic career and prowess.

EJ’s parents, Jeanette and Emerson Obiena, were track and field athletes. His father represented the Philippines in the Southeast Asian Games, her mother ran hurdles for her college, and his sister, Emily Jean Obiena, is also a pole vaulter.

“The next thing you know, I’m representing the country”

EJ represented the country as an athlete in 2014 when he was able to meet Ukrainian pole vaulter Sergey Bubka. Originally intending only to get an autograph from Bubka, he learned of an opportunity to train in Italy.

EJ trained with Bubka’s then coach Vitaly Petrov for three months; of the same year in Formia, Italy. His training paid off on the PATAFA weekly relays held at the PhilSports Football and Athletics Stadium; EJ broke the national record for pole vault with 5.01 meters.

Edward Lasqyete held the previous record at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Spain. Set three years before the national junior of 4.31 was also broken as EJ was only 18 years old at the time, continuing to break his own records several times.

In 2015, EJ participated in the Southeast Asian Games, winning a silver medal with a 5.25-meter leap, his then-personal record.

EJ said that it never felt like it was his decision to become a national athlete. It was until his injury in 2017 made that made him stay out of the game for six months due to a torn ACL. “[I] had six months to kind of… think on it, really absorb all of that, and I felt deep inside that, if I don’t continue, I’ll regret it,” EJ said.

While being left out of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, EJ cited that it was the year that he actually chose pole vaulting, even citing that it became the year that he wanted to become an Olympian.

In the 2019 Summer Universiade, he won gold and set a new national record in the Men’s Pole Vault event. EJ secured qualification in the 2020 Summer Olympics by surpassing the qualifying standard by making a national record finish in Chiara, Italy.

The controversy

The Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) publicly escalated an accounting issue concerning overdue payments to Vitaly Petrov, the coach of the Obiena team, in November 2021. Later, Petrov and Obiena denied having a payment dispute with Obiena.

Because of the issue, Obiena could not compete in the World Championships despite the 5.91-meter record set by Obiena at that time.

“It was tough. It was a tough seven months of my life; in those times, I did not really have any reason to continue,” Obiena said.

“It felt like, at least, at the start. I felt like the federation that I represent doesn’t want me to represent the country. So why… or what am I doing here?” Obiena added.

Moving forward

After the grueling legal process that haunted Obiena and his team, Obiena’s mission is not over, as he was out to conquer the 2022 tournament season.

Obiena earned his first gold in the Orlen Cup in Łódź, Poland, last February 11, 2022; he followed up the victory in the Orlen Copernicus Cup with another gold medal finish with a season-best of 5.81 meters amidst the PATAFA controversy.

After reaching an agreement with PATAFA, Obiena settled the score on March 30. Following that, the federation promised to support the athlete's participation in the 2022 World Athletics Meet in Oregon, USA, and the Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

In the 2022 Southeast Asian Games, Obiena cleared a 5.46-meter vault to attain the gold medal. In the World Athletics Championships in July of the same year, Obiena made history by setting a new Asian Record in Oregon, USA.

Obiena reached 5.94 meters in three attempts to attain the bronze medal, making him the very first Filipino athlete to a podium finish in one of the most prestigious athletics events in the world. Because of the podium finish, Obiena moved up from fifth to third in the rankings in World Athletics.

The next month after Obiena’s historic win, he was reinstated to the Philippine Training Pool of the National Sports Association as most of the votes from PATAFA gave the OK to reinstate Obiena. Obiena capped off the year with a gold medal finish at the Galà dei Castelli in Bellinzona, Switzerland, in September. Jianzen Deananeas