Push Admin

EJ Obiena earns Athlete of the Year honors from PSA

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="EJ Obiena celebrates after winning the men" s="" pole="" vault="" final="" athletics="" event="" during="" the="" Asian="" Games="" in="" Hangzhou="" eastern="" Zhejiang="" province="" on="" September="" POC-PSC="" media="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/10/09/20231001-ej-obiena-pole-vault-poc-5.jpg"/><figcaption>EJ Obiena celebrates after winning the men&#x27;s pole vault final athletics event during the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou in China&#x27;s eastern Zhejiang province on September 30, 2023. <em>POC-PSC Media Pool.</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA -- Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena is the sole recipient of the Athlete of the Year honor in the San Miguel Corp.-Philippine Sportswriters Association awards night.</p><p>This, as the 28-year-old star soared to even greater heights in 2023, with three gold medals in major international tournaments and new records set for the Philippines.</p><p>Obiena made history once again in the World Athletics Championships, became the first Filipino to join the elite six-meter club, and capped off the year by rising to No. 2 in the world rankings. </p><p>He was also the first Filipino athlete to secure his place in the 2024 Paris Olympics, after a silver medal effort in a tournament in Sweden in July.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/03/23/obiena-earns-qualification-in-paris-olympics">Obiena earns qualification in Paris Olympics</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/08/27/23/obiena-claims-silver-in-worlds-as-duplantis-retains-crown">Obiena claims silver in worlds as Duplantis retains pole vault crown</a></li></ul><p>His achievements earned Obiena the top individual honor in the PSA Awards Night, as the pole vaulter edged other achievers in Philippine sports last year. </p><p>Also considered for the award was the Gilas Pilipinas men&#x27;s basketball team, following their gold medal conquest in the 19th Asian Games to end a 61-year drought. The Philippine women&#x27;s national team also merited consideration after their debut in the FIFA Women&#x27;s World Cup, along with the pair of Meggie Ochoa and Annie Ramirez for their gold medal wins in the Asiad.</p><p>But Obiena got the nod of the majority from the country’s oldest media organization composed of print and online sportswriters headed by its president Nelson Beltran, sports editor of The Philippine STAR.</p><p>Obiena, son of track and field athletes Emerson and Jeanette Uy, is the first track athlete to be honored with the prestigious award since long jumper Marestella Torres in 2009.</p><p>The undisputed pole vault king of Asia, Obiena set a new record in the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia (5.65-m), in the Asian Athletics Championships in Thailand (5.91-m), and in the Asian Games in Hangzhou (5.90-m).</p><p>He won silver in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest after clearing 6.0-m, coming in second only to world record holder Mondo Duplantis of Sweden. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/06/24/23/ej-obiena-staying-locked-in-after-record-breaking-feat">EJ Obiena staying locked in after record-breaking feat</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/11/23/obiena-plans-series-of-training-camps-ahead-of-olympics">Obiena plans series of training camps ahead of Paris Olympics</a></li></ul><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2704515" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena is the sole recipient of the Athlete of the Year honor in the Philippine Sportswriters Association awards night.