Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena is going to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, making him the first Filipino to qualify for the quadrennial athletic event.
Obiena, the 2019 Asian Athletics Championship pole vault gold medalist and Philippine record holder, cleared 5.81 meters during a pole vault meet in Chiara, Italy.
The Olympic standard is 5.80 meters.
The 6’2” Obiena cleared the height on his third and last attempt as he bested five others for the gold medal.
Obiena later went for the Asian record by attempting to clear 5.9 meters, but he failed to clear the height.
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Philip Ella Juico learned of Obiena’s feat following a phone conversation shortly after his victory,
“Perhaps due to the adrenalin, I felt as if I was floating in the air as I let go of the pole and went over the bar,” Obiena told Juico.
Before going to Italy, Obiena cleared a height of 5.76 meters to clinch the gold medal at the World University Games on July 12, 2019 in Napoli, Italy. That feat was .04 meter short of the Olympic qualifying standard.
In earning his Olympic slot through the qualifying standard, Obiena avoided the perilous route of qualifying based on ranking.
“With hundreds of athletes competing for the limited spots in the Olympics, qualifying through the rankings, the system used in many sports without any qualifying standard, would mean a long wait. Thismeans athletes will be waiting almost up to the last minute for the final rankings on whether they have qualified,” said Juico.
Juico added: “It is PATAFA’s honor to have the first Tokyo Olympics qualifier come from its ranks.
EJ’s feat comes at a time when the Philippines faces various daunting challenges in the international front, including the 30th Southeast Asian Games and this should inspire other athletes.”
It took Obiena five years of intense and dedicated training, and countless international competitions to make it to the Olympics.
“The most modern coaching techniques and support from the Philippine Sports Commission, Ayala Corp., private individuals and most recently, the Management Association of the Philippines, helped EJ get to where he is now and where he is headed,” Juico said.
Both Philippine Olympic Committee Chairman Steve Hontiveros and 2020 Tokyo Olympics chef de mission and Philippine Football Federation president, Mariano Araneta, confirmed that Obiena was the first Filipino athlete to qualify.
