The Philippines’ EJ Obiena reacts as he competes in the men’s pole vault qualification of the athletics event at the Paris Olympics 2024 at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 3, 2024. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines—EJ Obiena had Filipinos on the edge of their seats in the Paris Olympics 2024 men’s pole vault qualification phase.
And, well, he knows about it, too.
“Sorry po sa mga napakaba ko kanina. Ako rin po kinabahan ng todo ng di ko maintindihan,” wrote Obiena in a post on Instagram. (Sorry for all the people that I made nervous earlier. I was also nervous in a way that I couldn’t explain.)
READ: EJ Obiena advances to Paris Olympics pole vault final
Obiena also brought that same witty response right after his qualification to the men’s pole vault final where he will have a chance to redeem himself after an 11th-place finish in the Tokyo Games.
“My dream was on the line in one jump and it’s as stressful as it can be. Sorry for the language but my sh— went up, turned around and went down,” said Obiena in jest with One Sports.
Why was Obiena so apologetic—and even witty—with his emotions after his qualifications? Well, he almost didn’t get through.
Obiena, the World No.2-ranked pole vaulter, surprisingly fumbled both of his opening jumps in the 5.60m bar.
Instead of going for a third try in the 5.60m level, Obiena upped the ante and tried to go for the 5.70m bar in order to get back into the Top 12 mix.
READ: Paris Olympics: EJ Obiena gets hyped ahead of pole vault qualifications
When the University of Santo Tomas product successfully cleared the 5.70m line, he couldn’t contain himself and let out a big sigh of relief.
“I just did what he [coach] told me, executed and after that we got pretty chill. We didn’t really need to jump the 75 but I think it got me to a rhythm.”
“After that 70, I didn’t want to express so much emotions but… Three years were on the line. Three years of things I’ve gone through were on the line in that jump and it just burst out of me.”
The 28-year-old Obiena, who also went on to clear the 5.75m bar, earned a berth in the final on Tuesday at 1:00 a.m. (Manila time).