EJ Obiena's parents lend their support from afar as Olympic-bound pole vaulter trains in Italy

Olympic-bound pole vaulter EJ Obiena is enjoying the support of his parents despite the distance between the Philippines and his training base in Italy.

It helps that both of them were also athletes in their heydays—EJ's dad, Emerson, was also a pole vaulter for the national team, while his mom, Janeth, was a hurdler.

In Chino Trinidad's report for "24 Oras," the husband and wife shared how they take care of EJ as he continues to prepare for the Tokyo Games.

"Ako po 'yung nangangamusta lagi sa kanya as to what is his situation doon, kamusta po siya daily," Janeth said. 

"Usual ko pong tinatanong sa kanya is, 'Nakatulog ka ba nang maayos? Kumain ka na ba? Kasi mag-isa po siya," she added.

EJ, 25, previously assured that he was safe in Italy despite the coronavirus pandemic.

But aside from catching the virus, there are other concerns as he gets himself ready for the Olympiad.

"Unang-una is s'yempre 'yung safety niya. Alam naman natin itong sport na 'to medyo mataas din 'yung risk," Emerson said.

Back in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, EJ had to drop out of the competition after tearing his ACL one day before flying to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Luckily, his mom already got his back by praying for him always.

"Ang lagi lang naman niyang ino-open sa akin is in everything, he goes to a competition, he always gives his best and he just needs the support of everybody [na] andun 'yung tiwala sa kakayahan niya," Janeth said.

—MGP, GMA News