Patafa lauds EJ Obiena for record-breaking feat

FILE – The Philippines’ Ernest John Obiena competes in the men’s pole vault final during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on August 3, 2021. —REUTERS

MANILA, Philippines—Philip Ella Juico, the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) president, lauded pole vaulter EJ Obiena following his latest feat in the Golden Roof Challenge in Innsbruck, Austria where he set a new Asian record.

The Tokyo Olympian won the gold and cleared 5.93 meters, breaking the 29-year-old record of Kazakhstan’s Igor Potapovich set back on June 13, 1992.

“Congratulations are in order to EJ Obiena for breaking the Asian record at the Golden Roof tournament in Innsbruck, Austria,” said Juico in a statement Sunday.

“Both the heretofore long-standing Asian record of 5.92m established by Igor Potapovich of Kazakhstan in Dijon, France and the Philippine record which Obiena broke four times over the past two years.”

Obiena has been on a tear after the Olympics as he rose to No. 5 in the World Athletics rankings. Prior to winning the gold in Austria, he also secured the silver medals in the Paris Diamond League and Kamila Skolimowska Memorial.

Juico said that Obiena’s string of successes can also be attributed to his coach Vitay Petrov’s adjustments.

“The outstanding improvement in Obiena’s performance is certainly due also to the technical adjustments made by coach Vitaly and executed by Obiena,” said Juico. “Even minor and subtle adjustments, unnoticed by ordinary laymen like us, can become a game changer and turning point at the highest level of a very technical and formidable event like pole vault.”

“These changes make a big difference in an individual event like pole vault. You can only depend on yourself and on no one else’s execution as is the case in team sports.”

Obiena will compete in the International Stadionfest in Berlin, Germany next.