Obiena moves camp

MANILA, Philippines — Former world No. 2 pole vaulter EJ Obiena has moved his training camp from Formia, Italy to Athens, Greece and will now work with Polish coach Marcin Szczepanski in his quest for a third Olympic jump in Los Angeles in 2028. PATAFA president Terry Capistrano said yesterday the road to LA is Obiena’s focus and the shift was decided in consultation with his team, including Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov and American sports patron Jim Lafferty.

“We’ve got plenty of moving parts to deal with like the transfer to Athens and clearances with PSC,” said Capistrano. “Our relationship with Coach Vitaly has grown well over the years. We’ve earned each other’s respect. We owe Coach Vitaly a lot.”

Lafferty said Petrov and Szczepanski are in contact. “Coach Vitaly remains a consultant to EJ,” he noted. “Everyone wants the best for EJ. Coach Vitaly seemed to recognize that perhaps after 10 years, EJ needs a fresh outlook. Changing coaches is common at this level. The other day in Athens, he was back on the big poles from 2023 when he cleared 6.00m and looked very good with the bar set at 5.90m. He’s doing different exercises and making him stronger.”

Szczepanski, 35, has over 10 years of experience as head coach or since mentoring Piotr Lisek, considered the best Polish vaulter ever, in 2015. Three years ago, he took over as Emmanouil Karalis’ head coach, guiding the Greek star to a bronze finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics and No. 2 in the world rankings. Obiena and Karalis will train side by side. “I’m excited to join Manolo (Karalis) in Athens,” said Obiena. “He’s not only a good friend but he has emerged as inarguably one of the top two vaulters in the world. I will need to dig deep to try and keep up with him every day. This is a win-win situation and I’m confident we’ll see the payout in coming competitions.”