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After SEA Games, Obiena gears up for outdoor season

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena competes in the 31st SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. PSC/POC pool photo." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/05/18/ej.jpg"/><figcaption>Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena competes in the 31st SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. <em>PSC/POC pool photo.</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>After defending his Southeast Asian Games gold medal in record fashion, Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena is already back in training to prepare for the outdoor season of world athletics.</p><p>Obiena lived up to expectations in the 31st SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, clearing 5.46-meters to set a new Games record and secure the gold medal last Saturday at the Mỹ Đình National Stadium.</p><p>It was a 1-2 finish for the Philippines as Hakkett Delos Santos claimed silver after clearing 5.00 meters.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/05/14/22/obiena-defends-pole-vault-title-with-new-sea-games-record">READ: Obiena defends pole vault title with new SEA Games record</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/05/15/22/watch-family-love-as-obiena-accomplishes-hanoi-mission">WATCH: Family love, as Obiena accomplishes Hanoi mission</a></li></ul><p>&quot;It&#x27;s good, pole vaulting in the Philippines is finally back on top in the Southeast Asian region,&quot; Obiena said on ANC&#x27;s &quot;Headstart&quot; on Tuesday morning. </p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdqQ5L9Ihii/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"> </div><div 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</div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"> </div></div></div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"> </div></div><div style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdqQ5L9Ihii/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Ernest Obiena (@ernestobienapv)</a></div></div></blockquote><div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Obiena has since left Hanoi and is back on the grind, as he is now gearing up for the outdoor season including the Wanda Diamond League.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m back to training already,&quot; he said. &quot;I&#x27;d be competing on May 28th or 29th in Italy, then I&#x27;ll start the formal season. The outdoor season will be in Oslo, Diamond League in mid-June.&quot;</p><p>The Wanda Diamond League will be in Oslo, Norway on June 16.</p><p>Obiena is hopeful of a more stable campaign in the outdoor season after a less than ideal indoor season that was hampered by his feud with his own national sports association, the PATAFA, as well as a knee surgery in January. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/12/22/look-ej-obiena-undergoes-successful-surgery">LOOK: EJ Obiena undergoes successful surgery</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/03/03/22/poc-slams-patafas-refusal-to-endorse-ej-obiena">READ: POC slams PATAFA&#x27;s refusal to endorse EJ Obiena</a></li></ul><p>He opened his indoor campaign in February in Berlin, and registered a season-best mark of 5.91-meters in the Perche Elite Tour in Rouen, France in March. </p><p>In April, Obiena and PATAFA settled their differences with help from the Philippine Sports Commission, and he was named the country&#x27;s flag-bearer for the opening ceremonies of the SEA Games.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/03/30/22/obiena-patafa-rift-has-finally-been-settled">READ: Obiena-PATAFA rift has finally been settled</a></li></ul><p>&quot;I think the difficulty is just the uncertainty, &#x27;yung hindi ko po alam kung makakalaro po ako or paano po &#x27;yung sitwasyon,&quot; said Obiena of his difficult build-up to the SEA Games. &quot;I think that was the most difficult part for me in this certain SEA Games.&quot;</p><p>Obiena admits that he has yet to reach the level he wants at this point in his season. </p><p>&quot;Normally at this time, I&#x27;m already in my full approach. I&#x27;m still currently training hard, you know. I lost a bunch of my strength and my endurance back in the indoor season due to not having those stable training patterns,&quot; he explained.</p><p>&quot;Kumakayod pa po. Kailangan nating bumalik doon sa dating, in my old fitness level,&quot; he added.</p><p>Still, Obiena had more than enough in the tank to retain his SEA Games title, an achievement he credited to his support staff.</p><p>&quot;I have a really good physio, really good coach, really good team. To be honest, that&#x27;s the secret to it,&quot; he said. </p>

Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena is already back in training to prepare for the outdoor season of world athletics.

After SEA Games, Obiena gears up for outdoor season

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After SEA Games, Obiena gears up for outdoor season

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 18, 2022 11:34 AM PHT

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EJ Obiena

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