THE PHILIPPINES’ top pole vaulter Ernest Obiena will not be seeing action in the 29th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.
Obiena sustained the injury while training before his flight to Malaysia on Friday.
“I am really upset beyond measure,” he told the Varsitarian in an online interview. “[But] I just want to focus on getting back. If God [is] willing, I would be back in no time.”
Obiena, who won silver in the 2015 SEA Games, is currently waiting for medical advice as to when he can compete again.
Last June, his SEA games bid was put in jeopardy after his poles were broken during his flight to Italy.
Obiena broke his own Philippine pole vaulting record after a 5.61-meter jump in a competition in Germany last July.
