Pole vaulter EJ Obiena announced that he is ending his 2024 campaign and will be withdrawing from his participation in several sports competitions.
Some of the sports competitions he was supposed to participate in are the Philippine International Pole Vault Challenge on September 20, ISTAF Berlin, Zurich Diamond League, and Diamond League Final.
According to his Facebook post, he had continual back pain and spasms all season and it had worsened, affecting his performance during the Silesia Diamond League. After a visit with a doctor in Italy, he found out he had a fractured L5 vertebra.
“Competing in [the] Olympics with a spinal fracture was a risk I [was] willing to take (And as it ends up, I did take ) but now I need to make decisions with my head, not my emotions,” Obiena said. “The best thing to do right now, with ensuring my best future, is to rest and recuperate and come back even stronger,” he added.
Obiena is hopeful that he will be ready to start another campaign in 2025. “Hopefully, now that I’ve identified the source of my back problems this year, with the required 4 weeks off to heal, I’m hoping to return pain-free and ready for the 2025 indoor season!”
“I am going to honor my promise: ‘You’ll see more of me, and the Philippine flag will be raised on a global scale.’ It will simply have to wait a bit longer,” he added.
“Thank you for your support. I love you all and promise, I’ll be back!” he concluded.
The 28-year-old athlete secured fifth place at the Silesia Diamond League and narrowly missed the podium at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing in fourth.
