Ernest John "EJ" Obiena (right) with coach Vitaly Petrov. (Photo courtesy of EJ Obiena)
MANILA – Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) president Terry Capistrano praised pole vaulter Ernest John "EJ" Obiena for his six-meter performance at the Bergen Jump Challenge in Bryggen, Norway on July 10.
The 27-year-old Obiena won the tournament, erasing the Asian record of 5.94m he set in winning the bronze medal at the World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon last year.
“While we are all elated with Ernest John “EJ” Obiena’s 6-meter performance in Norway the other day, we, the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), believe that he can do better in the coming months and beyond knowing what he’s capable of as a world class athlete," said Capistrano in a statement released to the media on Monday.
“We are happy and proud of EJ for becoming the first Asian athlete to join the 6-meter club in the men’s pole vault. But we know he is capable of doing better because of his continuous training and competing abroad under veteran coach Vitaly Petrov plus his perseverance.
“He is certainly an extremely gifted athlete. There is still a lot of work to be done in order for him to get to where he should be. He has been working hard and smart to get to 6-m," he added.
Capistrano also thanked the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee "for their unconditional support".
Pole vault legend Sergey Bubka was the first to achieve the 6-meter feat on July 13, 1985.
Armand Duplantis of Sweden, currently world No. 1, joined the six-meter club in 2018, winning the gold medal with a world Under-20 record of 6.05m at the European Championships in Berlin, Germany. (PNA)
