Olympian EJ Obiena on growing up: ‘My dad was my superhero’

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena is on top of the world, or on top of the world rankings at No. 2, six weeks from the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympics. He is also a man of intense focus.

EJ has just had an amazing month. Two weeks ago, he tied for silver at the Oslo Bislett Games in Norway; four weeks ago, he took the gold at the USA Track and Field Los Angeles Grand Prix. In Bergen, he cleared 6 meters for the first time, erasing his previous record of 5.94 in July 2022 when he bagged the bronze at the World Athletics Championship.

The PLDT Home ambassador is currently training in Formia on the Mediterranean coast of Lazio, Italy. With Father’s Day coming up, EJ says that he is going to arrange an online call with his dad Emerson Obiena on Father’s Day, which he always does when he’s training overseas.  When he’s in Manila, the family usually orders pizza, “not really like a bongga celebration.”

EJ says that the Obiena household has always been a PLDT subscriber “from as far back as I can remember. Our first internet service at home was already PLDT. ” Like many Filipino athletes that train far from home for long periods, PLDT Home allows his family in Manila to keep in touch with him—especially his mom with whom he has a very close relationship—and be updated on his competitions and wellbeing.      

Dad as his Coach

Dad Emerson Obiena was his coach until EJ was 18 years old. Emerson Obiena was a member of the Philippine National Pole Vault Team and won the silver medal at the 1995 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

“I think I was around six or eight years old when I first held a pole in my hands,” EJ says. He actually started as a hurdler when he was a kid but since there were no competitions for his age group, he began focusing on pole vault. “I know that before I even started speaking, I was already tagging along with my dad and would stay on the track just watching the athletes.”

The Obienas are a remarkably athletic family. His mom Jeanette Uy was a hurdler and his sister Emily Obiena was a pole vaulter. Emily is now training to become a licensed pilot. EJ shares, “She can fly planes now.”  We jokingly asked EJ if that’s an upgrade or downgrade from pole vaulting and he playfully responded, “I think it’s way more important than jumping on a stick.”

Growing up, EJ looked up to his dad as a superhero. While he admits that the athlete-coach relationship wasn’t always easy, EJ grew up looking up to his parents. “He wasn’t just a dad to me but he was also my coach at that time. And there are lines that a dad would not cross and coaches would, and there are lines that a coach can't cross but dads would.”

He adds, “I do appreciate the knowledge and the wisdom that my dad has taught me. When I was younger and I’d ask my parents for stuff,  they would give it to me even though we were not a rich family; we were lower middle class, I’d say. I'm at that point in my life where I do appreciate the experiences that my parents passed on to me. You have that famous Filipino line, ‘Papunta ka palang, pabalik na kami.’ They were really able to guide me and teach me how to deal with things in the sport.”

Proud father Emerson said when EJ received the 2022 Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards, “I hope EJ serves as an inspiration to young athletes who are just starting in the sport. Hopefully, Ernest will be a role model for them to strive and become like him.’

The Olympian life and training

Hard work is certainly second nature to EJ. His typical day starts at 7a.m. when he cooks breakfast for himself and prepares his things for the day’s training. He checks his emails before he drives to the track.

At 9:30 a.m. his first training session for the day begins and lasts until 1 p.m. Then he eats at the training center or goes back home. From 2 to 4  p.m., he attends to personal matters, paperwork, and online meetings. From 4 to 7:30 or 8 p.m he has his second training session. Then he eats dinner, takes a shower and rests. He says that he “repeats the same the next day.”

It's a disciplined life that his dad has ingrained in him since he was a young boy—and for that he is grateful. His dad first brought him to Formia, Italy in 2014 where he began training under coach Vitaly Petrov, who previously coached EJ’s idol, the Ukrainian pole vaulter Sergey Bubka.

Is he excited for the Olympics in July? Not yet. There are still competitions to focus on – in Poland on June 20 and June 23.  Then in July, he’s going to attend the Paris Diamond League and stay at the training camp.

Mental training is another aspect that EJ has been preparing for. Apart from the gym, he does yoga both for physical and mental training. “Yoga for me shows where you're strong and where you’re weak.”  

He has also worked with a sports psychologist since 2021. “You learn whether you’re an athlete that wants to win or, like my dad, an athlete that doesn't like to lose. Both have good and bad qualities, and they have very different approaches to the sport. Like are you a dog or a horse? If you get whipped, do you stay on the ground or do you go forward? That definitely plays a role in your psychological approach to the game.”

Will EJ’s family attend the Olympics? Hopefully so. For EJ, distance is never a hindrance to stay connected with his family.  

With Father’s Day being celebrated by families in the Philippines, EJ in Formia has a message for his dad, the man who started him on this glorious path to athletic excellence. “Thank you for being patient and thank you, really, more than anything else, for sticking around with me. For all the sacrifices you and mom have made for me to be here. As you know, I’m not going to throw it away or let it go to waste. That's why I'm maximizing everything, focusing on achieving what needs to be achieved. This is the truth,” EJ says.

He is, after all, a man on a mission. And if there’s any Father’s  Day gift that EJ could give his dad and express his gratitude, it’s all the hard work he’s putting into taking home an Olympic medal from Paris.

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