MANILA — Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena admits his three-peat at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea last Saturday was far from easy.
In fact, Obiena described it as the toughest among his three titles so far. The two-time Olympian defeated his good friend and training partner, China’s Huang Bokai, in a jump off to win the gold medal.
After both athletes failed to clear 5.82-m in three tries, they had a jump off at 5.77-m. Huang faltered in his attempt, and Obiena came up with a clutch leap to clear the height in his first try.
“For sure. I mean, I think it’s the hardest one out of the three that I’ve won,” he said. “I’m happy to come out with the win, actually. It’s not your standard championship, I would say.”
The competition, which lasted over five hours, had no qualifying rounds and that took its toll on even the most seasoned competitors.
“We were 15 or 16 athletes, if I’m not mistaken. The first bar, it took at least like a good 45 minutes to finish,” Obiena recalled.
“It just took forever… I think they really underestimated the quality of the field this year. Last Asian Championship, 50 would get you a podium finish. This time around, it didn’t.”
Adding to the pressure was the fact that Obiena was going up against familiar faces.
“My training partner was there, and it was quite challenging, especially because he’s also a good friend of mine,” the Olympian noted.
“You try to stay focused, but at the same time, you want to root for your teammate.”
He also dealt with what may be a bacterial infection in his throat, and had difficulty finding medicine in Korea.
“I’m also like, a bit sick, so I’m not exactly very confident in myself,” he admitted.
He soldiered on with encouragement from his legendary coach, Vitaly Petrov, who will be joining him ahead of a busy schedule in Europe.
“I’m stopping by Munich for a short time and then Rome will be my next stop,” said Obiena, who is now looking forward to a full schedule in June.
“I’m going to the Netherlands in Hengelo on the 9th,” he said. “Then Oslo for the Diamond League and Stockholm.”
But before he dives into the European circuit, he’s returning to Italy not just for rest but to regroup with Petrov and focus on the finer details of his jump.
“For now he said I need to have a little bit more training,” Obiena explained. “What he means by that is like, get the reps in.”
“There are flashes that I do very well. There are flashes that I’m not jumping well. So consistency is lacking.”
Obiena shared that to him and Vitaly, putting in “a little bit more” is the change they plan to do.
“So hopefully it’ll be good,” he said.
That reset will be crucial ahead of Obiena’s biggest target this year: the World Championships in Tokyo this September.
Before flying to Gumi, Obiena had a rare training stint in Manila. It marked the first time he trained for a major competition in the Philippines.
This came with a deeply personal reward for Obiena: time with family.
“I mean, the camp in the Philippines was great. It’s the first time I actually trained in Manila to prepare for a major championship and I still won so it’s not a bad decision,” he said.
Beyond training, he cherished the chance to bond with his grandmother.
“I’m very happy that I’m able to spend time with them. And the simple things like having dinner on Mother’s Day and bringing my Lola as well. She’s turning 82,” he shared. “I don’t want to take that for granted.”
Nonetheless, training in Manila had its challenges: “There’s one thing I would change, definitely just the food, the nutrition. It’s harder in Manila to get the food that I need to eat.”
Overall, Obiena is greatly thankful for his time in the Philippines and the support of the Filipinos.
“Thank you for staying and thank you for my teammates who actually stayed the whole five hours of competition yesterday… I enjoyed being with my fellow Philippine team members,” Obiena said.
When asked about the possibility of returning to compete in the Southeast Asian Games, Obiena emphasized the need to be strategic with his calendar.
“I’m human. I can’t be peaking at every competition out there. I need to be smart about it. It’s a much more complicated topic than just if I want it or not.”
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