The phrase “the more you hate, the more you love” perfectly sums up the rather complicated relationship of EJ Obiena and the world of pole vault.
“There’s winning and there’s misery.”
Miami Heat president and legendary coach Pat Riley uttered these now famous words on how brutal sports can be, showing how athletes could end up either in the two sides of the coin.
Top Pinoy vaulter EJ Obiena lived the reality of it and admitted how he was close to leaving the sport on various occasions.
“Multiple times. It has given me a lot of heartaches as well. This is a love-hate relationship from time-to-time,” the world no. 3 pole vaulter revealed to One Sports when asked if he ever thought of quitting the sport.
As one of the elite pole vaulters around the world, Obiena had his own fair share of doubts and growing pains as early as 2017. That was the first time he, admitted, considered quitting the sport when a career-altering moment took place.
“Back in 2017, I could have really physically left it because— you know, I tore my ACL.” the two-time Asian Athletics champion admitted.
At that time, Obiena was just 22 years old and just starting to carve out his career that already included a silver-medal finish in the 2015 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
From the likes of Tom Brady, Derrick Rose, and Zlatan Ibrahomovic to name a few— athletes who also suffered ACL injuries in the past– getting back to their usual, dominant self took time.
But EJ remained unfazed and persevered to get back healthy and stronger than better.
And boy he did.
From 2018-2022, Obiena put his name in the world pole vaulting scene with remarkable victories in the Asian Championships in Doha, Qatar and the Summer Universiade in Naples, Italy. He also successfully defended his SEA Games crown in front of his home crowd in the Philippines in 2019 before competing in his first ever Olympic in Tokyo 2020.
But in 2022, Obiena faced crossroads anew.
“[In] 2022, I was ready to give it up because I felt like I’ve done a lot and I said at that point I knew what I want to achieve is not possible with the current situation I’m in. So therefore, what’s the point of trying.”
The Filipino athlete was referring to his rift back then with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) that led to him being dropped from the national team who will compete in the Vietnam SEA Games that year.
Obiena said he saw, at that point, that the end was near for his career.
“I’m a very pragmatic, realistic person. If I see that it’s not possible, [then] I Ieave it and that reality is always lurking any corner.”
[ALSO READ: EJ Obiena shares updates on smoothed out relations with PATAFA]
But in the end, all is well now for Obiena and the NSA after Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Butch Ramirez brokered the reconciliation of the two parties.
He went on to make history, snagging a bronze in the 2022 World Athletics Championship in 2022 and then a silver in 2023.
Obiena’s return to the Olympics in Paris 2024 resulted to a heartbreaking campaign after a fourth-place finish, just falling short of a podium finish.
[ALSO READ: No medal for EJ Obiena as he finishes 4th in Paris 2024 pole vault]
The 28-year-old Tondo native still competed in the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League, where he finished joint-third, and in the Silesia edition, where he ended up fifth.
Despite his 2024 season being cut short by a back injury, Obiena assured the desire to compete at the highest level is still in his very core.
[ALSO READ: 'I’ll be back': World no. 3 EJ Obiena announces break from pole vault competitions due to back injury]
“I know my fire is still there and therefore I’m still here.”
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