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EJ Obiena

Romwel Anzures

ABS-CBN News

<div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1720531159553IMG_4393.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Paris 2024: EJ Obiena primed to lead PH athletics in Olympic Games"/><span class="fr-inner"><span data-darkreader-inline-color="" id="isPasted" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3);text-size-adjust:auto;caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0);-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);--darkreader-inline-color:#e8e6e3;text-align:left">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. </span><em data-darkreader-inline-color="" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.3);text-size-adjust:auto;caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0);-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);--darkreader-inline-color:#e8e6e3">POC-PSC Media Pool/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — EJ Obiena is set to lead the charge for the Philippine athletics team in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.</p><p>The 6-foot-2 Filipino pole vault star is one of the three delegates of the country in the Olympics&#x27; athletics event, while also out to represent flag and country are hurdlers Lauren Hoffman and John Cabang Tolentino.</p><p>The Tondo, Manila native, has been on a roll en route to Paris.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/5/31/ej-obiena-clinches-silver-in-norway-s-oslo-bislett-games-1742">READ: EJ Obiena clinches silver in Norway&#x27;s Oslo Bislett Games</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/2/24/obiena-breaks-asian-indoor-record-after-claiming-gold-in-berlin-tilt-1704">READ: EJ Obiena breaks Asian indoor record after claiming gold in Berlin tilt</a></div><p>The 28-year-old, world-ranked No.2 pole vaulter previously set the Asian record after clearing 6.00 meters in the 2023 Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway, and won gold medals in the 19th Asian Games, 2023 SEA Games, and the 2023 Asian Championships.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/5/19/ej-obiena-wins-gold-at-los-angeles-grand-prix-911">READ: EJ Obiena wins gold at Los Angeles Grand Prix</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/7/8/ej-obiena-places-fourth-in-final-tilt-before-paris-games-1702">READ: EJ Obiena places fourth in final tilt before Paris Games</a></div><p>And while he recently placed fourth in the Meeting de Paris in France last Sunday, he earlier recorded a pair of first-place finishes in Poland&#x27;s Memorial Czeslawa Cybulskiego.</p><p>That is why for Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) Secretary General Jasper Tanhueco, the Chiang Kai Shek College product is on pace to get the gold for the Philippines in the Summer Games&#x27; pole vault competition.</p><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom:0px;line-height:normal;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);min-height:13.8px"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1720531644229IMG_3621.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">PATAFA Secretary General Jasper Tanhueco. <em>Photo from Rom Anzures, ABS-CBN News.</em></span></span></span></div><p>&quot;We&#x27;re positive about our chances po. I don&#x27;t want to put pressure, but we know they&#x27;ve been training hard for them to reach this stage,&quot; said Tanhueco earlier today during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum in Manila.</p><p>Obiena is currently in his training camp in Paris alongside his coach Vitaly Petrov as they continue with the last stages of their preparations for the Olympics.</p><p>He is looking to redeem himself after his 11th-place finish in the Tokyo Games, and for Tanhueco, these previous setbacks have prepared EJ for the Olympics which will be featuring some of the world&#x27;s best in Armand Duplantis of Sweden, the United States&#x27; Sam Kendricks, and Thibaut Collet of France.</p><p>&quot;EJ has been through a lot of challenges, and high competitions. He already knows how to compete at the highest level, we believe in him.&quot;</p><div><strong>Prepped for broken poles</strong></div><p>Last May, Obiena went through a setback in one of his competitions as he dealt with a broken pole during his campaign at the 63rd Ostrava Golden Spike at the Mestsky Stadium in Czech Republic.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/2024/3/4/ej-obiena-reflects-on-9th-place-finish-in-glasgow-tilt-1804">READ: EJ Obiena reflects on 9th-place finish in Glasgow tilt</a></div><p>He settled for a seventh-place finish in the competition after he only cleared 5.52m as his pole broke midway through his attempt.</p><p>Days later, despite bouncing back with a silver finish in the Oslo Bislett Games in Norway, he once again had to deal with his pole breaking yet again.</p><p>But in Paris, Tanhueco said that they will be ready in case that happens.</p><p>&quot;We have a second set of poles. It&#x27;s already in communication with them, but it&#x27;s only a backup. At least, it&#x27;s better to have enough backup,&quot; he assured, while also saying how the rest of Obiena&#x27;s needs before the actual Games open are already in place.</p><p>&quot;But everything else is okay. The logistics, so basically, everything else is okay.&quot;</p><p>Obiena will be competing first among the country&#x27;s bets in athletics as he will step foot at the Stade de France in the men&#x27;s qualification round on August 3 at 4 p.m. (Manila time).</p><p>And if he is to advance, the Finals will be held on August 5.</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re positive and confident that they are gonna perform at their highest level. And of course, what we wish as well is they enjoy that experience of representing us and battling with the best of the best,&quot; said Tanhueco.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FT4TLrlesuE?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>EJ Obiena is set to lead the charge for the Philippine athletics team in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.</p>

EJ Obiena is set to lead the charge for the Philippine athletics team in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Paris 2024: EJ Obiena primed to lead PH athletics in Olympic Games

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Paris 2024: EJ Obiena primed to lead PH athletics in Olympic Games

Romwel Anzures,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 09, 2024 10:38 PM PHT

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Updated Jul 23, 2024 10:16 PM PHT

Read More:

Pole Vault

ABSSports

EJ Obiena

2024 Paris Olympic Games

Paris 2024

Lauren Hoffman

John Cabang-Tolentino

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