MANILA, Philippines — Pole vault ace EJ Obiena has unfinished business and he has vowed to settle at the biennial Southeast Asian Games, where in 2017 he was forced put because of a serious knee injury.
“EJ’s surpassing the SEAG record augurs well for our participation in the forthcoming SEA Games,” Philippine Star quoted Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association President Philip Ella Juico as saying.
Obiena recently fired a warning shot to his SEAG rivals when he cleared 5.36 meters in only his first competition for 2019, the Ayala Philippine Athletics Championships in Ilagan City, surpassing the standing SEAG record of 5.35m posted by Thai Porranot Purahong in taking the gold in 2017, PhilStar reported.
The Italy-trained Phl star owns a personal best of 5.61m, which he set in Germany in July 2017 prior to tearing his ACL during training for the Malaysia SEAG.
“Although a bit lower than EJ’s personal best, this is just his first jump for the new season. It shows how proper training, conditioning and nutrition, when combined at the right moment, can produce outstanding results. EJ and others who had a hand in EJ’s latest feat sacrificed to gain this achievement. I look forward to more successes from EJ and the rest of the Patafa team,” said Juico.
