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‘Good guy’, ‘clutch’: World’s top pole vaulters speak highly of EJ Obiena
The global pole vaulting community is a small, tight-knit group, especially among elite athletes who frequently compete against each other on the international stage.
Because of this, bonds often grow stronger despite the competition.
With this, even Filipino Olympian EJ Obiena has earned high praise from his fellow vaulters.
Germany’s Oleg Zernikel described Obiena as a trusted friend and competitor.
“He's a good guy, he's a good ally. I love him. I like him,” Zernikel said.
“Because of this friendship, because of him, I'm here today — and I’m happy to compete tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, American vaulter Matt Ludwig had one word to describe Obiena: clutch.
“In one word, clutch. You learn to never count out EJ,” Ludwig said.
“He's one of the best in the world, especially when the pressure is highest.”
Ludwig recalled an impressive back-to-back performance by Obiena, who traveled overnight from Innsbruck, Austria, to Berlin, Germany, and still delivered remarkable results.
“We jumped in Innsbruck, Austria, where he jumped 5.92 at the time, which was the Asian and Southeast Asian record,” Ludwig said, referring to the International Golden Roof Challenge, where Obiena actually cleared 5.93 meters.
“And then overnight, he traveled to Berlin to jump again the next day.”
Ludwig was referring to the ISTAF competition in Berlin, where Obiena cleared 5.81 meters and placed fourth.
“It has got to be the most impressive double in a 24-hour period… It’s the stuff of legends,” Ludwig added.
Obiena, Zernikel, and Ludwig will be joined by Ersu Sasma (Turkey), Austin Miller (USA), Menno Vloon (Netherlands), Thibaut Collet (France), Piotr Lisek (Poland), and Ben Broeders (Belgium) in Sunday’s competition.
Hokett Delos Santos, who won the local leg of the World Pole Vault Challenge, has been awarded the tenth and final spot for the event.
—GMA Integrated News
