FILIPINO pole vaulter Ernest John "EJ" Obiena starts his Paris Olympics medal bid at the Stade de France on Saturday at 4:10 p.m. (Manila time).
Obiena, the world's No. 2 ranked pole vaulter, competes in the qualification round against the best in the world, including world No. 1 and reigning Olympic and world champion Armand "Mondo" Duplantis of Sweden who also owns the world record of 6.24 meters.
The 28-year-old Obiena, who owns the Asian record of 6.0 meters, is one of the country's top bets to win a medal in Paris but his road to the Olympics has been a "bumpy" one, he said.
Obiena's buildup towards the Olympics was marred by two broken poles and "physical battles" that he needed to overcome.
He has not competed in the elite level in most tournaments he joined this year.
Obiena started the outdoor season this year with a gold medal at the LA Grand Prix then dropped to seventh at the Ostrava Golden Spike.
He returned to the podium with a silver at the Oslo Bislett Games but dropped to seventh again at the Diamond League Stockholm leg in early June.
The pride of Tondo recovered in Poland with back-to-back gold medal performances which saw him register his season-best 5.97 meters at the Irena Szewinska Memorial and 5.87 meters at the Memorial Czeslawa Cybulskiego in late June.
Obiena then finished fourth at the Meeting de Paris on July 7 which served as his final competition before the Paris Games.
Despite the setbacks and admitting that he is not in his top shape, Obiena believes that he can still compete at a high level in Paris.
"Am I feeling confident with my preparation? Well, definitely not as much as I would like!! Am I doing the best I can each day? Yes and most definitely yes!!! Not what I wanted but we're still standing and I still have a few more days to prepare and sharpen," said Obiena in a Facebook post on July 20.
"I know these things happen. All athletes at an Olympic level deal with such adversities. I know not everything is in my control. I am an optimist by-nature. Can I perform at the highest level? YES, I BELIEVE I CAN!"
Obiena promised the Filipino people that he will give his very best.
"I am a proud Filipino and that means I am resilient and have weathered far worse situations. I promise you all I will give not 99% but all 100%! Thank you everyone for your support," he said.
Read The Rest at :
