EJ Obiena will compete in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 men’s pole vault finals on August 6 (Philippine time).
Anxious moments both for EJ Obiena and the Filipinos marked the pole vaulter's campaign in the preliminaries in Paris 2024 on Saturday, August 3 (Philippine time).
Obiena had an uncharacteristic start where he failed to clear 5.60m twice, putting him on the verge of kissing his Olympic dreams goodbye.
But after a tense wait where the World No. 2 eventually decided to use his last chance by moving up to 5.70m, Obiena erased any doubt by coming up with a smashing performance thereafter, easily clearing the 5.70m and later on the 5.75m in one go.
[WATCH: EJ Obiena safely through men's pole vault finals | Paris 2024 Highlights]
With the final slot already in the bag as he placed sixth in Group A and seventh overall, Obiena later took to Facebook to apologize to and thank his supporters for sticking with him despite the "emotional rollercoaster."
[RELATED STORY: World no. 2 EJ Obiena survives early scare, qualifies for finals of men's pole vault in Paris 2024]
“Sorry po sa mga napakaba ko kanina. Ako rin po, kinabahan [nang] todo [na] 'di ko maintindihan,” Obiena wrote on Facebook.
“Thank you [to] everyone who [stuck] thru the emotional rollercoaster.”
Obiena skipped the 5.40m starting height before blowing two of his three chances at the 5.60m.
Filipinos waited with bated breath for the World No. 2 pole vaulter's one last shot in Paris.
Refusing to head to the exits, Obiena decided, upon the advice of his coach, to go for the bold decision of moving up to 5.70m instead.
[RELATED STORY: Coach's call: EJ Obiena shares how he survived early scare in Paris 2024 men’s pole vault]
Obiena, who holds the Asian record at 6.00m, embraced the pressure and made it to the Top 12 finalists.
But the job is not yet done for the Asian Games gold medalist.
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The quest for his first Olympic gold is expected to be more cutthroat when the finale unfurls on August 6 (Philippine time).
“I’m just going to do my thing, make the right things day in and day out. I trust my coach with my life. We’ll see what he plans,” said Obiena.