THOMASIAN pole vaulter EJ Obiena ruled the Taiwan International Pole Vault Championship, opening his outdoor season campaign with a victory at Sun Moon Lake in Nantou on Monday, March 31.
Obiena overcame foggy conditions and reduced visibility to clear 5.50 meters and claim gold.
“With roughly 10 meters visibility, you just disappear. Talk about the proverbial ‘leap of faith’! Well, I decided to go for it and place my leap of faith in God’s hand,” Obiena said in a social media post.
Due to the hazy conditions, Obiena missed two attempts at the 5.50-meter bar before clearing it on his third attempt.
“We can’t always have sunny skies and perfect weather conditions. We have to persevere through all kinds of adversity,” the 29-year-old two-time Olympian said.
Joining Obiena in the competition were UST Tiger Trackster and UAAP Season 87 gold medalist Hockett de los Santos, who cleared 5.15 meters to finish 10th, and UAAP Season 87 boys’ pole vault champion Francis Sillar, who jumped 3.91 meters.
In the women’s division, UST’s Ma. Khrizzie Ruzol and Jessa Libres finished outside the podium, both clearing 3.40 meters.
For Obiena, the challenging weather conditions served as a learning experience for the Filipino pole vaulters as they opened the season on a high note.
“This was a new kind of adversity and I learned from it!” said Obiena, who holds the Asian record of 6.0 meters. “I am thankful to have won the competition under such ‘murky’ conditions!”
Last month, Obiena, the world’s No. 4-ranked pole vaulter, missed the World Indoor Championships in China after falling short of the qualifying points, prompting him to shift his focus to the outdoor season instead.
