Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena is trying to get his confidence back.
After breaking his poles last month and getting a new set afterwards, he and his coach Vitaly Petrov continued to figure out how he can maximize the use of the new equipment that was given to him.
The last time he competed using his set of poles was when he battled against rivals who were getting ready for the Paris Olympics last July 7.
Obiena missed a podium finish on that day in the Meeting de Paris in France.
The 28-year-old Obiena settled for fourth when he cleared 5.75 meters on in his final tournament before the Olympics.
The world no. 2 Obiena was tied with Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis in French leg of the Diamond League leg series.
Reigning Olympic champion and world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden dominated and took his 10th gold medal for the season when he soared to 6.00 meters.
A month earlier, Obiena’s poles were broken during competition. The second time it happened, Obiena broke a pole during practice, and he needed two borrowed poles to save his campaign and settle for a bronze medal at the Diamond League – Oslo Bislett Games in Norway.
“We’re trying to figure it out, with the equipment, and with my poles snapping. I could have landed out of the box. I’m thankful that I’m still in one piece,” said Obiena in an interview with the Manila Standard.
“You broke a pole, you are risking your life. Lots of things could have happened,” said Obiena in his talks with Petrov.
He missed a third straight podium finish after committing back-to-back fouls at 5.85m.
He tried to go up to 5.95 meters, and did not clear all three tries.
In his last outing, American Sam Kendricks grabbed the silver with a season-best 5.95m, while France’s Thibaut Collet snared bronze with 5.85m.
But prior to this and using his new poles, Obiena came off with two gold-medal wins in the Irena Szewinska Memorial and Czeslaw Cybulski Memorial in Poland.
So far, he came up his highest clearance this season when he jumped to 5.97m in the Irena Szewinska Memorial in June.
“So. I’m trying to figure it out, on how I can get my confidence back,” added Obiena.
Obiena’s fellow Paris candidates Duplantis, Kendricks, Collet, and Emmanuel Karalis were around.
Obiena has remained at world no. 2 behind Duplantis, who is still the world’s top pole vaulter.
He received a new set of sticks ordered for him by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association and its president Terry Capistrano.
Obiena got a new group of eight sticks, which arrived on June 15 in Italy, after these were personally delivered by fellow pole vaulter Ed Lasquete.
