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Pole vaulter EJ Obiena starts mental preparation for Tokyo Olympics
By BEA MICALLER,GMA NewsPhysically fit and all ready for the Olympics, EJ Obiena will now shift his focus on his mental preparations for the Summer Games.
In an interview with GMA News online, Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) chief Philip Ella "Popoy" Juico said that Filipino pole vault champion will no longer join competitions leading to the Olympics.
Instead, he will toughen up mentally following a busy year that saw him shatter personal records and achieve a host of feats.
"He continues with his training and he's making some adjustments but physically, he's good to go. He's ready for the Olympics," Juico said.
"But what he's focusing more now is the psychological aspect, the mental. That would really play a big factor come the Olympics and we would want him to be both physically and mentally prepared," he added.
Obiena competed in 13 competitions in this year alone. Out of those, he finished with six gold medals while grabbing three silvers and a bronze.
His latest meet was during the prestigious Wanda Diamond League, where he placed fourth
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Obiena, who was named one of the country's flag bearers in the Olympics opening ceremony along with Kiyomi Watanabe, also took part and won silver in the Irena Szewinska Memorial Cup held in Bydgoszcz, Poland where he was able to shatter the national record after he registered 5.87.
Juico said they are not pressuring Obiena to deliver a medal, more so the country's first-ever gold medal, adding they just want him to go out there and do his best.
"We are not setting a specific goal for him because we do not want to pressure him. Whatever he does there would be okay with us," he said.
Obiena, who now ranks no. 6 in the world, will formally jump into Olympic action on July 31 at the Japan National Stadium.
—MGP, GMA News