EJ Obiena hopes to be pole vault's 'Greatest of All Time'

Filipino Olympian and pole vaulter EJ Obiena has been breaking records and bagging medals left and right.

In the ongoing Asian Games, Obiena won the gold medal with his record 5.90-meter clearance, breaking the previous record held by Japan's Seito Yamamoto at 5.70 meters.

While his achievements have been racking up, the world no. 2 pole vaulter still eyes to be the world's best.

"I want to be the best, and I want to be the greatest of all time, if not in Asia, hopefully in the world. I think it's a doable thing," Obiena said in Martin Javier's report on 24 Oras on Wednesday.

"All I need to do is trust my coach, focus on what I need to do, and kind of be obsessed in my craft."

Prior to his stint in China, Obiena was already aware of the expectations of him being Asia's top pole vaulter.

While he admitted that he knew about the expectations, Obiena said he was amazed with the support he also got from the hometown crowd.

"I was expecting the crowd to be against me. I'm gonna get booed by these 80,000 people. It's gonna be rough. But it was the total opposite. The people were clapping for you. It was deafening. Every time I talk about it, I get goosebumps, I relive that feeling that I had in the stadium. Amazing," Obiena recalled.

"I remember I was doing a lap and there were a lot of Philippine flags and all I can think about was the conflict that we have with China suddenly kind of disappeared because the whole Chinese crowd is cheering for a Filipino.

That gave pride and acknowledgment about the country. It was such an amazing feeling. It was a memory of a lifetime."

Obiena is currently in the country as he wrapped the outdoor pole vault season after the Asian Games.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News