Irreconcilable differences?
Things usually have endings but some do drag for a while with contending parties refusing to flinch. Be it pride or whatever misplaced reasonings, resolution remains distant.
The Obiena-PATAFA novela had gotten juicier with the entry of Vitaly Petrov, EJ’s Ukranian pole vault coach who also handled Olympic and world titlists Sergey Bubka and Yelena Isinbayeva. Bubka broke the pole vault world record 35 times. Isinbayeva was a 2-time Olympic gold medal winner and holds the women’s pole vault world record at 5.06 meters which she accomplished in 2009.
Petrov, in a social media post, criticized PATAFA and its head for dropping him and his ward, citing they had “never done anything to help me, drops me as a coach and removes my athlete that has a great future in this sport.”
As to the “never done anything to help me” thing, I would assume that PATAFA had taken care of his salaries, which, for all intents and purposes, is the root cause of all this drama.
Obiena is world class with a world class coach, and the 84-year old is questioning why both he and his ward as well as athletics patron Jim Lafferty had fallen out of the NSA’s graces. Petrov stated the fact that he had guided Obiena to reach the world’s top 5 in pole vault, who had, in his “humble view” came from a country “that didn’t have the history or the resources to create a wolrd-class pole vaulter.”
I agree on the history and partially on the resources to produce world class athetes. I say partially because appropriated funds often find their way thru “commissioners” who take massive fund cuts, with little left for the athletes. Our athletes, except those who are lucky enough to have sponsors, only become regional class at best.
The Philippine Sports Commission offered a mediation but Obiena withdrew citing PATAFA’s intent on pursuing a criminal case against him.
PATAFA/Juico have their agendas, Obiena has his reasons. This serye ng totong buhay looks like “Ang Probinsyano”, no end in sight. Unless of course they reconcile their differences and bury the hatchet. Nope, not at each other’s back.
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