Obiena's rise is not a surprise.
EJ Obiena leaped new heights (literally and figuratively) when he started training under legendary coach Vitaly Petrov in 2014. The almost-decade tutelage transformed Obiena from a promising athlete to a world-class player and the greatest pole vaulter Asia has ever seen.
Just recently, the pride of Tondo, Manila broke the six-meter barrier, joining an elite group of pole vaulters. The Asian record holder's rise is not a surprise, knowing how hard he trains, and Obiena also revealed the new techniques that paved way for the record-breaking jump.
Obiena knows how lucky he is to have coach Petrov on his corner. A Facebook post by the current world no. 3 further solidified that.
"[Vitaly Petrov] has been coaching pole vault for more than 50 years!" The post said.
Before Obiena, two more pole vaulters who broke into the six-meter club also trained under Petrov.
One is Olympic gold medalist and Brazilian Thiago Braz and the other is the very first to leap 6 meters, Sergey Bubka of Ukraine—previously hailed as the undisputed GOAT of the sport until Sweden's Mondo Duplantis entered the scene.
"[Vitaly Petrov] is a top caliber coach and the Philippines is very lucky to have him!"
The Philippines is lucky indeed.
But luck is not the only thing fueling Obiena's success. Somewhere around the world, the 27-year-old athlete is sacrificing to do greater things for the love of the sport and his country. And with Petrov behind Obiena, expect more records to be broken, and higher accomplishments reached.
(GM)