Obiena cries foul

EJ Obiena was fuming mad when the wife of former Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie accused the world’s number two pole vaulter of doping.  Obiena said that based on the Worlds Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Athletics Integrity Unit, he has not tested positive for any banned substance.  The 28-year old Filipino said he had a total of 34 total doping control tests since he turned professional and has been under the auspices of the Athletics Integrity Unit and the WADA.  Obiena’s  mentor James Lafferty said the tests had zero results.  He had never tested positive for any banned substance from  any blood or urine tests that had been conducted by WADA.  Obiena also took a polygraph test from Eye Detect and sent to the U.S.  He passed the test.

Abais Lavillenie apologizes

As I write this column, Anais Lavillenie has already apologized for accusing Obiena of doping.  Obiena  said  this is a closed matter he’s ready to move forward.  In her letter Anais said “ I would like to offer publicly, my sincere apologies for writing untruthful words, I made a stupid amalgam  that  I should never have done and written, I admit, and that’s why I deleted  the comment after the fact but the damage was done, I am sincerely sorry”.  In accusing Obiena,  Anais said he will suffer the same fate as Brazilian pole vaulter Tiago  Braz, who got  provisionally suspended for failing a doping test.  Braz defeated her husband Renaud for the gold in the 2016 Rio De Janiero Olympics.  Well,  all’s well that ends well. Obiena is currently in Formia, Italy  and is preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Armless Sheeta Devi winstwo gold medals

Sixteen-year old Sheeta Devi from Kashmir, India, became the first Indian woman to win two gold medals in a single edition of the Asian Para-Games.  Devi holds her bow with her foot.  She won the gold in the compound mixed team event and silver in the women’s doubles. Sheeta became the first armless woman to win a Para World Archery championship medal in July.