Filipino pole vaulter Obiena wants to be the best in the world

SINGAPORE – As Ernest Obiena stepped off the podium at the Suphachalasai National Stadium in Bangkok on Sunday, he was inundated with requests for photos and autographs.

He had just won the men’s pole vault at the Asian Athletics Championships after clearing a meet-record height of 5.91m, but even after hours under the relentless sun, he obliged each request with a smile.

It is all in a day’s work for the Filipino world No. 3, who often has young fans approaching him for photos after his meets in Europe as his exploits have earned him worldwide recognition.

The 27-year-old has already established himself as one of his country’s most decorated track and field athletes. Among his accolades is the historic bronze he won at the 2022 world championships in Oregon, the Philippines’ first medal at the meet.

He believes he has yet to achieve his full potential and wants to be the best in the world. But the confident 1.88m athlete that fans see today is not the same person from before.

“It’s something I learnt, I slowly understood,” said Obiena, who spoke to The Straits Times after his second Asian championships title on Sunday.

“Being great takes a lot and being with greats, you see what it takes and I feel like I’m doing all that I can, sacrificing, doing all the things that are necessary for me to be one of the best.

“I believe now that I can be one of the best and it’s showing in the results – I’m more consistent, I’ve jumped over 6m, these are signs that I’m able to do what my mind is set on.”

He is currently third in the World Athletics ranking, behind American-born Swede Armand “Mondo” Duplantis, the Olympic champion and world record holder (6.22m), and American Christopher Nilsen.

A key figure behind his progress is Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov, who has worked with Olympic gold medallist and six-time world champion Sergey Bubka.

He said: “It’s not one day you wake up (and believe you can be the best). It’s a slow progression.

“My coach played a very big role in that – he showed me what it takes to be world-class, what it takes to jump 6m, to be one of the few to jump over that and he taught me that I could be better.”

Becoming the best in the world means taking on pole vault’s brightest star Duplantis – the 23-year-old has captivated fans and the fraternity alike with his multiple world records.

But Obiena relishes the challenge from his friend, insisting that it pushes them to be better. And he proved it in September 2022, when he defeated Duplantis to win gold at the Brussels Diamond League.

In June, he breached the 6m barrier to win the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway, the third-best outdoor effort in 2023 behind Duplantis’ mark of 6.12m and American K.C. Lightfoot’s 6.07m.

He said: “Duplantis has been pulling the quality of pole vault to such a high level and that’s a good and bad thing.

“It’s very good for the sport, it’s very bad for the other vaulters because it’s hard.

“People think jumping 6m is a simple task but other than him this year, there are only two guys who have hit it. I do enjoy competing against Mondo – I hate losing to him but I do enjoy competing.

“We’re pretty good friends... I’m not mesmerised by him. I do go, ‘damn, you make it look so easy’. When he’s there, my tendency is to jump higher.”

Jumping higher will be his goal for the Paris Olympics, and while he is in good shape and has not missed out on the podium this season, Obiena admitted that he has been “struggling mentally” and needs to push himself more. He is targeting gold in 2024 after finishing 11th at the Tokyo Games.

Obiena may be all smiles off the field, but he clearly means business when it comes to his sport. “I’m a competitor. I’m good when I’m competing with someone else,” he said.

“Sometimes motivation varies here and there but when you’re competing, you need to give your all especially when I’m competing with all these top guys. I know I can’t be goofing around and I like that, I thrive and live in that zone.”