Olympic delay makes Obiena crack

MANILA, Philippines — Olympic-bound pole-vaulter EJ Obiena can’t stand the thought of the 2021 Tokyo Games being cancelled entirely.

Entertaining the possibility made him shed a tear or two.

“To be honest, I didn’t want it postponed,” said an emotional Obiena during an online interview with a small group of sportswriters, organized by the Philippine Track and Field Association (Patafa), last Sunday night.

“If it’s cancelled, I think I’m going for Paris (2024 Olympics). But I really want to compete in Tokyo, really want it badly and do well there. It’s hard to say what I’m going to do if it‘s cancelled,” he said.

The 24-year-old Obiena, who is in Formia, Italy training under Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov, admitted he was lost the first time he learned of the quadrennial event’s postponement.

“I was kind of lost for a week because the whole mindset since 2016 was Tokyo. I was asking myself, ‘What now?’ and ‘What am I going to do?’” said Obiena, who has 2016 Olympics gold medalist and current Olympic record-holder Thiago Braz of Brazil as training partner.

“I was really trying to find answers,” he added.

Good thing Petrov was there to provide one.

“Coached (Petrov) noticed that I was floating even though I was always there training. He talked to me and that gave me more time to prepare,” he said.

Obiena, who thanked the Philippine Sports Commission for its continued support, is doing okay in training and has set his sights preparing for a competition in Monaco this August.

“It is already confirmed there will be a Diamond League. It’s a series of competitions in Europe, including the first one in Monaco, Asia and the United States. Our goal is to be in Monaco for sure,” he said.