EJ Obiena’s ‘dream’ pole vaulting facility set to open in Laoag

FILE–Philippines’ EJ Obiena prepares to compete in the men’s pole vault qualification of the athletics event at the Paris Olympics. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines—Just days after being medically cleared to compete again in pole vaulting, Filipino ace EJ Obiena ticked off another thing on his bucket list.

Obiena on Monday announced that a pole vaulting facility he helped build for Filipino aspiring athletes is set to open at Marcos Stadium in Laoag, Ilocos Norte.

While it may be a mere achievement from the outside looking in, Obiena called the development to be “a dream come true.”

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“One of my biggest dreams is coming true! […] I dream of making my country proud but to be honest, I have an even bigger dream in vaulting than medals. I believe this is an Olympic sport Filipinos can excel in. We can be globally competitive year after year,” wrote Obiena.

“My dream is that the Philippines being a global force in Pole Vault doesn’t end with me. It continues on for generations to follow. And I can help make this happen by raising money for new facilities in the provinces.”

“I am so happy to announce that the dream now begins to become a reality.”

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A ribbon-cutting ceremony is set for November 22, marking the official launch of the pole vaulting training venue.

Obiena also cited the journey of Hokkett Delos Santos, his fellow national team member and another University of Santo Tomas product, as a motivation for him to push for the newly minted facilities.

“At 20 years young, (Hokkett) has already won us a silver medal in the SEA Games. What if he did not have access to the facility, we would not have won that medal,” he said.

Obiena also saod that he would flying for the historic event that could potentially hone future world-class athletes in the sport of pole vault and athletics.