Bouncing back braver

Pole vaulting may not be a mainstream sport locally, but it has been making headlines in recent years with the help of Ernest John Obiena, more popularly known as EJ Obiena. The star pole vaulter from Manila came to the scene and brought honor to the Philippines as he made a name for himself. He represented the country, made history, and shed light on the lack of government support for athletes like him.

Just after retaining his men’s pole vault gold at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Vietnam last 14th of May, Asian record holder and world No. 6 Obiena flew to L’Aquila, Italy for the European City of Sports on the 30th of May and successfully cleared the 5.85-meter mark. Most recently, he brought home his sixth gold medal for the year after clearing 5.80 meters at the Jump and Fly meet in Heichengen, Germany on the 2nd of July (July 3, Manila time). Following his success in various competitions, The Red Circle had the opportunity to interview Obiena and discuss his success story, the hurdles he had to jump over to get to where he is today, and his plans for the future.

Runs in his blood

Athleticism is in Obiena’s blood; his father, Emerson, is a silver medalist in the 1995 SEA Games while his mother, Jeanette, focused on hurdles at Centro Escolar University. As a child, the track oval served as Obiena’s playground as he tagged along during his father’s training. He found joy in sprinting, long jump, and hurdles, among others. But as he grew older, Obiena found his calling in pole vaulting.

Obiena recalled taking the sport more seriously in high school as he started preparing for college. He said, “I did not come from a well-off family that allowed me to choose [which college] I wanted to go to. Any of the Big 4 universities in the Philippines is quite an expensive school, and I saw pole vaulting as a ticket to get a better education and better future.” 

The pole vaulter knew he had to deliver a better performance to get a scholarship offer from prestigious universities. Fortunately for Obiena, Ateneo de Manila University saw his potential and recruited him. After a while, he transferred to the University of Santo Tomas and continued to participate in Asian university competitions.

Obiena admitted that he missed out on a lot of things people his age would normally experience as he spent most of his time training. “It would’ve been nice to go out on a holiday or go to prom, but from the get-go, I knew that I was choosing a path not a lot of people were taking. I grew up in a family wherein I understood that if I wanted something, I needed to work for it and make some sacrifices.”

His sacrifices soon bore fruit when Olympic gold medallist Sergey Bubka came to the Philippines and met Obiena who was only hoping to get a photo and signature then. Bubka told Obiena that if he could jump five meters, he would qualify for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) scholarship to train at the World Pole Vault Centre in Formia, Italy. Obiena succeeded later on and left for Italy, with bigger things awaiting him.

Beating the odds and charging ahead

Obiena’s journey to the top tested his determination and passion for the pole vaulting. While preparing for the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, he sustained an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury during practice, an injury that causes the tearing of the ACL in the knee. He had to take a break for around six months of rehabilitation, but this setback soon became a turning point for him.

During his recovery, Obiena started to question whether he still wanted to keep pursuing his Olympic dream. At that time, he was already the best pole vaulter in Southeast Asia. He was then confronted with two options: to either study in the university and live a normal student-athlete life or take a risk and pursue his Olympic dream.

Not wanting to regret missing out on the opportunity, Obiena chose the latter and pushed forward. “Pole vaulting was my dad’s passion, it was his dream, it was never mine. But 2017 was the time I said, ‘[pole vaulting] is my dream, it’s something I want to do and can’t live without.’”

However, the challenges were not just internal for Obiena as he also lacked the necessary support, such as having the right equipment for training. “Competing with the best [pole vaulters] in the world is already hard, but not having what you need is just detrimental. I remember having problems with poles–I’m getting stronger every year but poles that fit me weren’t available.”

A 2015 report revealed that the Philippines’ sports sector is significantly underfunded compared to other Asian countries. The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) receives majority of its funding from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office (PCSO), and general appropriation from the national government. The first two contribute to the National Sports Development Fund where PSC derives most of its funding. 

Budget from General Appropriations remained almost the same during the course of the Duterte administration. Many Filipino athletes such as Filipino boxer Eumir Marcial and Olympic boxing qualifier Irish Magno have called for financial assistance and sponsorship. But, the issue of government support for athletes came to light once again when Hidilyn Diaz, who also called for sponsorship and funding, won a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Then Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque admitted that the government funding for athletes is not enough and likened the national athletes’ allowance to a “minimum wage.”

Similarly, Obiena did not shy away from admitting that he lacks government funding as well. He hasn’t received his monthly allowance or incentives, and is not being paid either. “It’s tough. [Someone once told me], ‘It’s tough to be an athlete, [but] it’s even harder to be a Filipino athlete.’ There’s a truth to that.”

Under the Philippine Sports Commission Act (R.A. 6847), athletes are given allowances and monthly stipend funded from the National Treasury. But as of the time of the interview, Obiena was paying for everything out of his own pocket because he still hasn’t received his allowance which would have helped in easing his financial burden.

When Obiena was embroiled in a dispute with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) due to the latter alleging that Obiena failed to pay the salary of his Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov on time, many started to question why the star pole vaulter had to manage those things when he should be focusing on training. His story triggered an outpouring of support from the public, with many urging him to represent another country instead, noting that he would have better opportunities and support abroad.

“It was a tough battle to just say ‘I’m sticking with my country.’ But it’s not the country making things difficult for me, but some people. If I jumped ship, it’s like me telling them that what they’re doing is right. But is the country winning at that point? I would rather retire than jump ship. I’m doing this because I love it, not because of money. I pay for everything, even my own ticket going to the SEA Games. It’s [his passion] bigger than money,” Obiena emphasized.

Obiena’s straightforward approach may have rubbed off on some people the wrong way, but he remains determined to stick to the path he chose and continue doing what he loves.

Obiena’s end goal

Right now, Obiena is preparing for the 2022 World Athletics Championships slated this July in Eugene, Oregon where he hopes to jump six meters as part of his short-term goal.

Though driven in continuing his pole vaulting journey, retirement doesn’t seem too far ahead for the world no. 6 as he reflected on it.

“I made history in Asia and nobody can take that away from me. I won SEA Games multiple times, hold multiple records in Asia and Europe, and I’m the highest-ranked Filipino athlete in track and field. I’ve done enough and given a lot for my country. Sometimes, I ask myself, ‘Why do I still want to do it? Why do I still struggle? Why are certain people who are supposed to be helping me making it difficult for me?’.”

If Obiena ever walked away from the sport, he has a degree to rely on as he earned a degree in Electronics Engineering at the University of Santo Tomas and has plans for the future beyond sports. However, he hopes to retire on his own terms, knowing he’s not that young anymore. While focusing on training, he continues to weigh the idea on his mind.

Apart from his own plans for the future, Obiena has bigger hopes for pole vaulting in the country as he intends to continue helping other pole vaulters. He aspires for pole vaulting to become big in the country.

“I want pole vaulting to be big in the country. I want [Filipino pole vaulters] to be feared [out of respect] when we line up in competitions and for other countries’ representatives to say, ‘We need to be wary of them.’,” shared Obiena, speaking about how competitive he envisions Filipinos to be in the sport in the future. 

“I’m very proud that after 30 years of not being able to do a 1-2 finish in the men’s pole vault, we did it in Hanoi [during SEA Games 2022]. It was historic. I’m a Filipino pole vaulter and I’m one of the best. My dream is for the Philippines to be dominant in pole vaulting in Asia and the world, and it’s happening.”

Knowing the struggles of athletes like him, especially for a non-mainstream sport like pole vaulting, Obiena then shared a piece of advice to aspiring pole vaulters. “A lot of people would say, ‘Just keep trying,’ and yes, it’s good to give your heart out. But as I got older, I realized there are bigger things in sports and life, so be smart, train hard, and focus on what you need to do. There’s nothing wrong in aiming for bigger things but you also have to be realistic and understand the consequences. Once you understand those things and still strive to be an athlete, then you’ll be a force to reckon with.”

While Obiena does not mind what others think of him, he noted, “If I were to be remembered by people in the future, I want to be remembered as the kid who dreamed from Tondo and now, I’m doing my best to represent the country and perform on the level Filipinos deserve [to see].”

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