Virgilio Lorenzo Jr

With several years of experience and numerous accolades under his belt, Filipino Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena shared he's learned to enjoy more and cherish moments outside the sport.

Article (news)

Paige Javier

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17872133828561787125352110AFP__20250503__44D8868__v1__Preview__AthleticsDiamondChn.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner">EJ Obiena competes in the men&#x27;s pole vault event during the Shanghai/Keqiao Diamond League athletics meeting in Keqiao, Shaoxing in China&#x27;s eastern Zhejiang province on May 3, 2025. Pedro Pardo, AFP/File </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA – With several years of experience and numerous accolades under his belt, Filipino Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena shared he&#x27;s learned to enjoy more and cherish moments outside the sport.</p><p>At 30 years old, the pride of Manila said his determination and focus in training is something that has remained consistent throughout the years.</p><p>But one thing that has changed for Obiena is the way he balances being an elite athlete and having fun as an individual.</p><p>&quot;I think the motivation to, or the belief system that I have or used to have, is a bit more modified, a bit more different now. I definitely was not one of those talented, gifted athletes. I always believed I need to work hard. And sometimes — sometimes, I&#x27;m not saying all the time — I still believe in it. But like working hard sometimes can be too much,&quot; Obiena told ABS-CBN News in an interview last Saturday.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/8/19/-sigh-of-relief-for-obiena-after-5-91-m-jump-in-poland-competition-1930"><strong>READ: &#x27;Sigh of relief&#x27; for Obiena after 5.91-m jump in Poland competition<br/></strong></a></div><p>&quot;You got to be able to balance that with your life and your want, your hunger, and your fun. And you know, it&#x27;s a bit more complex than it was before. And I think it&#x27;s just a much wider point of view that I have now,&quot; he added.</p><p>Obiena is getting adjusted into his new training environment after moving from Formia, Italy to Athens, Greece where his fellow Olympian Emmanouil Karaulis resides.</p><p>With a new set of athletes and friends regularly by his side, the Filipino pole vaulter makes it a point to enjoy not just in training but also outside the track.</p><p>&quot;So it&#x27;s not just training — you know, train, have fun with the guys. That makes you feel not like a robot. We&#x27;re human beings, we&#x27;re not meant to be just in a box that just keeps working and keeps doing everything &#x27;the right way,&#x27;&quot; he shared.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/2026/8/18/ej-obiena-clears-5-91m-to-win-gold-in-poland-0735"><strong>READ: EJ Obiena clears 5.91m to win gold in Poland<br/></strong></a></div><p>&quot;Sometimes we need to let loose and have fun, and really enjoy a bit of the things that we achieve, that we accomplish. A good competition is a good competition. Enjoy it for the night, and then come back to work tomorrow. But it doesn&#x27;t mean that, oh, I won, it&#x27;s just another day. Cherish these moments, enjoy it, and have a little bit of balance here and there,&quot; Obiena added.</p><p>While his social media is mostly filled with videos of him training and leaping to new heights at competitions, the 30-year-old shared that his idea of a fun day is going fast on the track.</p><p>&quot;I love driving cars, I love driving fast cars. So I don&#x27;t obviously have a fast car here, but the next best thing is... Is a karting, a race kart, you know? So, me, the Greek long jumper, Manolo, and all of his friends, everybody&#x27;s quite competitive. They&#x27;re athletes, they&#x27;re, you know, we&#x27;re competitive,&quot; Obiena shared.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;m proud to say I beat everyone in one of those days. I had the fastest lap. When we have time, we had good sessions. Everybody&#x27;s in a good mood. Sometimes it&#x27;s just a spontaneous thing: let&#x27;s go drive there and have a little bit of fun. And I think that&#x27;s what living is about. It&#x27;s not just being kind of stick to the paper kind of thing,&quot; he explained.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/othersports/2026/8/19/-fully-healthy-more-prepared-ej-obiena-targets-asiad-pole-vault-gold-1545"><strong>READ: &#x27;Fully healthy, more prepared&#x27; EJ Obiena targets Asiad pole vault gold<br/></strong></a></div><p>Obiena is currently locked in training with several meets lined up in Europe, ahead of the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan next month.</p><p>The 30-year-old aims to defend his men&#x27;s pole vault gold and return to the Top 10 in the world rankings by end of this year.</p><div><strong><br/></strong></div><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/LY88hRfNFe0??si=V642_wONOKm525iX&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>With several years of experience and numerous accolades under his belt, Filipino Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena shared he's learned to enjoy more and cherish moments outside the sport.</p>

From leaping high to driving fast: EJ Obiena on celebrating wins, enjoying life outside of pole vault

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From leaping high to driving fast: EJ Obiena on celebrating wins, enjoying life outside of pole vault

Paige Javier,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 20, 2026 04:11 PM PHT

Read More:

Pole Vault

EJ Obiena

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