We’re no longer surprised with Obiana’s latest conquest, though.
There’s no doubt that EJ Obiena is Asia’s pole vault king. The pride of Tondo, Manila reminded the region on Sunday after lording over the Asian Athletics Championship.
The Olympics-bound Obiena cleared 5.91 meters to claim the gold medal at the Supachalasai National Stadium in Thailand and became back-to-back champion.
He also erased his previous record of 5.71m he logged in the 2019 edition in Doha, Qatar.
Hussain Alhizam of Saudi Arabia (5.56m) and China’s Bokai Huang (5.51m) bagged the silver and bronze, respectively. Both are also coached by Petrov.
Interestingly, Obiena shared the podium with the pole vaulters he trains with under coach Vitaly Petrov.
Obiena was thrilled.
“The brotherhood and camaraderie there are impeccable. I’m very happy,” Obiana told reporters on Monday in a press conference on Zoom.
James Michael Lafferty, Obiena’s adviser, also heaped praise on Petrov, saying the feat was impressive.
“The guy took three vaulters to the Asian Championships and he won all the medals. That’s pretty impressive. It shows the kind of coach this man is and what he’s really helped the athletes in so many ways,” Lafferty said.
As of this writing, Obiena is on his way to Monaco for the Diamond League leg kicking off on July 21.
After that, the Philippine sports gem will shift his focus on the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary in August.