Obiena bucking isolation in pursuit of Olympic dream
MANILA, Philippines — It has not been an easy road for pole vaulter EJ Obiena in preparing for the Tokyo Olympics.
Apart from the obvious grind in training in anticipation for the Games, the 25-year-old has to fight a more mental battle — one against homesickness and isolation.
Obiena, the first Filipino to have booked his ticket to this edition of the Summer Games, hasn't been home since the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, leaving for Italy shortly after the regional tilt.
Now, with his stay in a foreign land having been extended for a year longer than he'd expected, it's something that takes a toll.
"Of course, I feel the isolation... You know, I live here alone. I don't really have anyone else other than my coach, my physio," admitted Obiena on an episode of Philstar: Home Base Olympics Edition.
"It's a tough job that I didn't really see that I would need to take, you know? But it's part of the sacrifice," he added.
Obiena flew to Italy before Christmas in 2019, with the Olympics initially scheduled in July last year.
But with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic pushing back the quadrennial event for a year, it was a much longer grind than he had expected.
Obiena said it's all worth the sacrifice, though, as he works toward representing the Philippines and making his countrymen proud in the Games.
"I have a task that I need to do, that I set out and I promised to the Filipino people, to myself, [and] to my team... I would do whatever I can," said Obiena.
The pole vaulter has been flashing his top form as the Olympics nears. Recently, he clinched a gold medal in the Stav Gala Street Pole Vault in Stockholm.
Obiena, however, missed the podium when he faced off with Tokyo Olympics gold medal favorite Mondo Duplantis in the 2021 Stockholm Diamond League last Sunday.
Obiena failed to clear 5.92m to end up in fourth place while Duplantis cleared 6.02 for the gold.
American Sam Kendrics and France's Renaud Lavillenie came in second and third, respectively.
Obiena thus made 10 podium finishes in his last 13 meets.
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