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EJ Obiena opens 2022 campaign in ISTAF Indoor tilt
Olympian EJ Obiena is all primed to jumpstart his 2022 season as he is set to compete in the ISTAF Indoor in Berlin, Germany.
The Filipino pole vaulter will be pitted against the world's best in Tokyo Olympic gold medalist and world no. 1 Armand Duplantis of Sweden, world no. 4 KC Lightfoot of the United States, and world no.7 Piotr Lisek of Poland.
Germany's Torben Blech, Oleg Zernikel, and Bo Kanda Lita Baehre and Netherlands' Rutger Koppelaar are the other participants.
The tournament kicks off on February 4 at 5:10 p.m. in Berlin (12:10 a.m. in Manila) at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Obiena, the world no. 5, was originally scheduled to participate in the Init Indoor Meeting set in Karlsruhe, Germany but he decided to pull out as he needed more time to recuperate from his knee surgery.
In an Instagram post late Thursday, the 26-year-old said he encountered problems while flying to Germany from Italy but stressed he is ready to start his season amid his ongoing rift with PATAFA.
"There was a slight delay in our flight due to multiple unforeseen circumstances but nonetheless we're taking off tomorrow and first stop of the season is ISTAF Indoor," Obiena said.
Obiena also bared his next competitions that include the International Pole Vault Invitationals in Uppsala, Sweden on February 9, the Orlen Cup in Lodz, Poland on February 11, the Meeting Hauts-De-France in Lievin, France on February 17, and Orlen Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland on February 22.
—JMB, GMA News
