EJ Obiena
 Ernest John Obiena at the 2017 Asian Championships. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Ernest John Uy Obiena | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | EJ Obiena | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Filipino | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 17, 1995 Tondo, Manila, Philippines[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.9 m)[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Philippines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and field | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event | Pole vaulting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | University of Santo Tomas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Emerson Obiena Vitaly Petrov (2014) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best | 5.81m (2019, NR) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Ernest John Uy Obiena (born November 17, 1995[3][4]) is a Filipino pole vaulter. Before breaking the Asian Athletics Championships record, he held the Philippine national record in pole vaulting with a record of 5.55 meters which he accomplished on April 29, 2016 at the 78th Singapore Open Championships in Kallang, Singapore.[5] He later broke the Asian Athletics Championships record with 5.71 meters on April 21, 2019 on its 23rd biennial meet at Doha, Qatar which earned him the coveted gold medal finish. He currently holds the National Record which he broke in the same event.
Obiena is the first Filipino that has been given a scholarship from the International Athletic Association Federation (IAAF).[1][6]
Biography
Early life and education
Obiena was born to track and field athletes, Emerson and Jeanette Obiena[2] on November 17, 1995 in Tondo, Manila.[1][3] Obiena attended the Chiang Kai Shek College for his secondary education, and is a college student at the University of Santo Tomas.[2]
Sporting career
Obiena used to compete at the 100 and 400 meter hurdles event for his high school, Chiang Kai Shek College. At the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), he competed for the University of Santo Tomas.[2]
Obiena's father, Emerson serves as his coach,[citation needed] also formerly served as the former Athletics national team member.[7]
In early 2014, for three months, Obiena with his father was given an opportunity to train under coach Vitaly Petrov in Formia, Italy who also previously coached Sergey Bubka.[8] In July 20, 2014, at the PATAFA weekly relays held at the PhilSports Football and Athletics Stadium, Obiena broke the national record for pole vault by registering 5.01 meters. The previous record was 5.0 meters by Edward Lasquete at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. The junior national record was also broken, since Obiena at that time is 18 years old. The previous record was 4.31 set three years ago.[8]
He later broke his own record several times in 2014 alone (5.05, 5.05, 5.15, 5.20, 5.21). By the time Obiena became ineligible for the national junior record, the record was 5.21 which Obiena set himself.[citation needed]
In the 2015 Southeast Asian Games, Obiena won a silver medal with a leap of 5.25 meters, that time his' personal record.[7] Obiena won a gold medal in the 2016 Philippine National Games Finals in Lingayen, Pangasinan after breaking a new personal record (5.47 meters), despite problems with his broken pole.
Obiena won gold in the men's pole vault event at the 2019 Summer Universiade[9] setting a new national record of 5.76 meters. He secured a berth in the 2020 Summer Olympics by surpassing the qualifying standard by making a 5.81 meters finish in a tournament in Chiara, Italy in September 3, 2019. The finish was also a national record.[10]
At the 2019 World Athletics Championships he failed to advance to the final round by finishing 15th out of 35 entrants through his 5.6 meters finish. He is aiming to surpass his own record targeting to leap 5.85 meters or further in training.[11]
Competition record
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the  Philippines
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| 2013 | Southeast Asian Games | Naypyidaw, Myanmar | 4th | 4.90 m | |
| 2015 | Southeast Asian Games | Singapore | 2nd | 5.25 m | |
| 2016 | Asian Indoor Championships | Doha, Qatar | 4th | 5.40 m | |
| 2017 | Asian Championships | Bhubaneswar, India | 3rd | 5.50 m | |
| 2018 | Asian Games | Jakarta, Indonesia | 7th | 5.30 m | |
| 2019 | Asian Championships | Doha, Qatar | 1st | 5.71 m | |
| Universiade | Naples, Italy | 1st | 5.76 m | ||
| World Championships | Doha, Qatar | 15th (q) | 5.60 m | ||
See also
References
- ^ a b c https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/05/20/sports/sports-top/obiena-breaks-phs-100-year-gold-medal-drought-in-asian-pole-vault/557132/
- ^ a b c d Reyes, Marc Anthony (12 February 2017). "Height of brilliance". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ a b https://www.iaaf.org/athletes/philippines/ernest-john-obiena-290722
- ^ Giongco, Nick (23 February 2016). "Obiena places 4th, fails Olympic bid". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ "78th Singapore Open Championships 2016 Results". southeastasiansports.blogspot.de. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- ^ https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/drive/sports/09/26/19/before-each-leap-of-faith-tokyo-2020-bound-ej-obiena-is-calm-under-pressure
- ^ a b Terrado, Reuben (January 4, 2016). "EJ Obiena set to complete pole vault training in Poland, looks to qualify for Rio through Doha tilt". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
- ^ a b Villar, Joey (21 July 2014). "Obiena breaks 22-year-old PHL pole vault record". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
- ^ Terrado, Reuben (13 July 2019). "EJ Obiena captures gold medal in Summer Universiade in Italy". Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ Malanum, Jean (4 September 2019). "Pinoy pole vaulter Obiena earns 2020 Tokyo Olympics slot". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
- ^ "Obiena hoping to improve his leap to 5.85 meters or more". Manila Standard. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
External links
World University Games champions in men's pole vault | |
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- 1995 births
- Filipino male pole vaulters
- Southeast Asian Games medalists in athletics
- University Athletic Association of the Philippines players
- University of Santo Tomas alumni
- Living people
- Southeast Asian Games silver medalists for the Philippines
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2018 Asian Games
- Competitors at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games
- Asian Games competitors for the Philippines
- People from Tondo, Manila
- Competitors at the 2015 Southeast Asian Games
- Competitors at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games
- Southeast Asian Games gold medalists for the Philippines
- Asian Athletics Championships winners
- Universiade gold medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Universiade medalists for the Philippines