Athletics – World Athletics Indoor Championships – Commonwealth Arena, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain – March 3, 2024 Philippines’ Ernest John Obiena in action during the men’s pole vault final REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
MANILA, Philippines—Already facing a tall order, EJ Obiena will be dealing with added adversity in his bid for gold in the upcoming Paris Olympics.
In a lengthy post on Instagram, Obiena revealed he has been battling “various physical problems” for the past several months and it doesn’t look like he will be in his desired form facing his biggest challenge yet.
“If you had asked me a year ago, how I would envision the ‘perfect’ Olympic preparation, well it certainly wouldn’t be what has transpired! It has been what can only be termed a bumpy road for me this season,” wrote Obiena on Saturday.
READ: Paris Olympics: EJ Obiena sets sights–and everything else–on gold
“Despite my best efforts at conditioning, fitness and discipline, I have been battling with various physical problems since April. I know and fully understand this can happen to athletes training at such intensity and no complaints…but why now?” f
The 28-year-old Obiena did not specifically say the injuries he’s been dealing with less than a week before the opening ceremony of the Games.
But that certainly played a factor in his fourth-place finish at the Meeting de Paris, a Diamond League leg, earlier this month which served as his final warmup prior to the Olympics.
The setback, however, doesn’t seem to faze the world No. 2 pole vaulter.
READ: EJ Obiena unruffled by fourth place in Paris Olympics warmup
“Am I feeling confident with my preparation? Well, definitely not as much as I would like! Am I doing the best I can each day? Yes and most definitely, yes!” said Obiena, who finished 11th in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
“I am a proud Filipino and that means I am resilient and have weathered far worse situations. I promise you all [that] I will give not 99% but all 100%!”
His fitness level may be lacking at this point but not the support.
“Kaya mo yan EJ. Ilang araw nalang competition mo na. Kaya mo yan,” said Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz in reply to Obiena’s post.
(You can do it, EJ. Only a few days left before your competition, you can do it.)