POLE vaulter Ernest John Obiena intends to open his outdoor season campaign in the 32nd Cambodia Southeast Asian Games in May.
“My plan is to start the outdoor season with the Cambodia SEA Games and then work around three other tournaments while I campaign in Europe,” Obiena, who is on a short visit to the country, said in a chance interview at the Philippine Sports Commission office at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
Obiena is the back-to-back SEA Games champion in the men’s pole vault event, holding the Games record of 5.46 meters set in last year’s edition in Vietnam, and should be the hands down choice for a third straight mint in Cambodia.
He set a new Asian standard of 5.94 meters when he won a bronze medal at the world championships in 2023 in Eugene, Oregon.
Also on the lanky athlete’s calendar are the Asian track and field championships set July 12 to 16 in Pattaya, Thailand, the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8 in Hangzhou, China and the world championships from Aug. 19 to Aug. 27 in Budapest, Hungary.
Obiena is keen on underscoring his reputation as Asia’s best in the continental showcase in Hangzhou, considering he finished seventh with a mediocre jump of 5.30 meters in the 2018 Asian in Jakarta, Indonesia.
He added that in between these competitions, he will compete in several legs of the prestigious Wanda Diamond League series in Europe, most likely after his SEA Games stint, starting with the second leg of the lucrative athletics tour.
That will be the Meeting International Mohammed VI d’Athlétisme de Rabat on May 28 at the Prince Moulay Abdella Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
Obiena said his ultimate goal is to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris, France next year, and become the first Filipino athlete to achieve a podium finish in the quadrennial sportsfest since high jumper Simeon Toribio bagged a bronze medal in the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Games.
“I am really gearing for the Paris Olympic and being at my best when I’m there,” said the 6-foot-2 beanpole.
