He is once again the clear favorite in the Southeast Asian competition.
World no. 3 pole vaulter EJ Obiena is set to compete in his fourth Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia next month. He is looking to bag his third-straight gold medal in the tournament.
Obiena and his renowned Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov recently transferred their training over at the Ciudad Deportiva Camilo Cano La Nucia in Spain as part of their preparations not only for the SEA Games but also for the upcoming pole vaulting season.
While the SEA Games won’t necessarily impact Obiena’s ranking and buildup to the 2024 Paris Olympics, the 27-year-old is still taking the competition seriously.
“I'm looking at Southeast Asian Games as an opener,” Obiena said in an interview on the sports show The Game on Wednesday. “This is a meet that's ranking-wise, performance-wise, not very important for me this year, but it's very important for the country, therefore, it's one of the most important meets for me as well.”
Obiena, however, is tempering expectations for the SEA Games given that he and his team are also looking at the bigger picture, which is the Olympics qualifying window that starts in June.
“It's not a secret. It's not gonna be where I'm jumping 5.9 [meters],” said Obiena, pertaining to the Asian record he set last year. “I'm not gonna peak for the Southeast Asian Games, I'm gonna be ready for it.”
Obiena, nonetheless, will still be the favorite to win the gold. Many are also expecting that the Olympian will break the SEA Games record of 5.46 meters, which he also currently holds.
And he seems to have just enough warming up under his belt. Prior to his SEA Games preps, Obiena competed in seven tournaments during the indoor season in Europe a couple of months ago, collecting three gold medals, two silvers and one bronze.