EJ takes break in Dubai

MANILA, Philippines — World No. 4 pole vaulter EJ Obiena is taking a brief rest in Dubai to confer with adviser/benefactor Jim Lafferty and map out plans for the coming outdoor season. Obiena, 29, hasn’t cleared over 5.80m in seven competitions since the start of the year.

Last week, Obiena was among 10 vaulters who participated in the Mondo Classic, an indoor event, in Sweden and finished eighth with a jump of 5.65m. As expected, World No. 1 Mondo Duplantis topped the meet, registering 6.05m. “I felt good at the Classic but the inconsistency is definitely showing,” said Obiena. “We’re preparing for the Diamond League in China to be my (outdoor) opener but things can change.” The Diamond League reels off in Xiamen on April 26. Obiena said he had a chance to chill with Duplantis during the Mondo Classic. “We talked about his music and stuff,” he noted. Duplantis recently released his first single “Bop,” described as “a catchy pop tune with an infectious melody.”

Lafferty, a highly-regarded business executive who was formerly based in Manila, said Obiena is both pissed and motivated. “His raw speed is at an all-time best,” said Lafferty. “He has huge timing issues. As EJ explained, he doesn’t have his timing together. How his run-up, plant and vault all work as one. He’ll get it but it takes time. The two months off post back injury had an impact. When he restarted training, he barely had time to train before competitions began. And once started, it was all about travels and preparation and not about the 100s of repetitions he needed.”

Lafferty said rushing to qualify for the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Nanjing took a toll. “What he needed was six weeks of focused training,” he said. “Not flying around, constantly prepping for meets. His speed is all-time fastest. He’s strong and healthy. It’s time to put it all together.”

The schedule constraints led to Obiena finally deciding to cut his indoor campaign short. “So he can get the reps and be ready for the outdoor season,” said Lafferty. “We all supported pulling the plug on indoors. Outdoors is what matters. EJ just has to vault over and over again.” Lafferty said Obiena will stay in Dubai only for a few days. “It’s just EJ and me,” he disclosed. “Good healthy meals, daily training, talking and strategizing. He’ll eventually head back to Formia.”