TOKYO Olympics-bound pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena capped his three-country indoor sortie with a bronze medal on Thursday, vowing to work harder for the Games that are only five months away.
“It’s okay, but there is still a lot of work to be done,” Obiena told BusinessMirror on Thursday.
Obiena, 25, cleared 5.80 meters but settled for the bronze medal at the Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland.
The US’s Sam Kendricks and hometown bet Piotr Lisek also did 5.80 meters but finished 1-2 for clearing the pole in their earlier attempts.
Obiena maximized the indoor season, winning gold medals in Ostrava and Berlin in Germany. He also clinched silver at the Orlen Indoor Cup in Lodz, Poland. He also competed in France.
Obiena said the fast-approaching Olympics are well set in his mind.
“That should be [Olympics] where I really need to perform my very best—that’s the goal,” he said. “Everybody there is aiming for the gold, and all athletes have the same chance.”
Obiena will fly back to the World Pole Vault Centyre in Formia, Italy, with his Ukrainian Coach Vitaly Petrov.
Obiena is one of four Filipinos who have so far qualified for the Olympics. The others are boxers Eumir Felix Marcial and Irish Magno and world champion gymnast Carlos Yulo.
Marcial is training at the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles, California, while Magno is honing at the Inspire Sports Academy bubble in Calamba. Yulo, on the other hand, continues to train in Japan.
The Olympics are set from July 23 to August 8.
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