There’s more work to be done for EJ Obiena, according to his famous coach. —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
EJ Obiena remained as the undisputed king of Asian men’s pole vault, but coach Vitaly Petrov is quite certain that more work should be done for a much-celebrated tournament ahead.
“We’re looking at the World Championships later this year. Definitely, there will be more training for EJ,’’ said Petrov after the two-time Olympian secured his third straight gold medal in the just-concluded Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea.
Obiena engaged training partner Bokai Huang of China in a standoff for the gold that took nearly five hours to finish before the Filipino wrapped it up at 5.77 meters.
Bokai seized the silver at 5.72m, improving a notch higher following a bronze performance in the 2023 continental championships in Bangkok, Thailand, with Thai Patsapong Amsam-ang winding up third, anchored on a personal best of 5.67m.
The World Athletics Championships is set in Tokyo, Japan, from Sept. 13 to Sept. 21, where Obiena remains one of the favorites to reach the podium.
Euro circuit next
Obiena pocketed the silver behind world record-holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden in the 2023 edition held in Budapest, Hungary, after placing third in the 2022 Worlds held in Eugene, Oregon, United States.
“We’ll go back to Italy and prepare for his succeeding competitions. We will see more improvements in the world championships,’’ said Petrov.
Prior to the Worlds, Obiena enters the European outdoor circuit where he will compete in Oslo, Norway, the Netherlands, Rome and Munich, Germany, among others.
So far, the World No. 4 has a season best of 5.80m, but he still owns the Asian record of 5.91m, apart from clearing a career best of six meters two years ago.
Obiena is angling to climb another step in the world rankings behind world No. 1 Duplantis, second-ranked Emmanouil Karalis of Greece and No. 3 Sam Kendricks of the United States.
Although his performance in Korea was way below his standard, Obiena was thankful that he was able to spend more time with his family since competing in a meet organized by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association early last month.
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The Asian Games gold medalist and three-time Southeast Asian Games champion hasn’t committed yet to defending his SEAG title in Bangkok, Thailand, later this year. INQ
