Obiena aims for more winning consistency ahead of 2023 season
By Ernest Martin Tuazon
Although racking eight consecutive podium finishes strengthened his confidence, Thomasian pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena said that he would still focus on winning consistency.
Looking back on his stunning 5.91-meter victory against Duplantis in the Brussels leg of the Diamond League, Obiena described Duplantis as people who had the ability to topple the competition on a regular basis, which boosted the former’s aspirations to establish a winning identity on an international scale.
“It builds confidence for sure… I need to be on the podium to win, [and] for now I’m trying to learn on how to do that more consistently,” Obiena said in an interview with TomasinoWeb this afternoon, Sept. 29.
The 26-year-old pole vaulter affirmed that a similar performance could be done consistently when filled with joy.
While that in itself is a tall feat to achieve, by simply not being trapped in the past ignited his drive to become the best version of himself.
“I perform the best when I’m happy, and I don’t think that being stuck [in] the past will help me fuel myself to reach greater heights,” he said.
Obiena also learned that in winning moments, come the lowest of lows where faithfulness and gratefulness made him much more aware of new realizations.
Such eye-openers made the Thomasian pole vaulter know who to lean on during rough patches in his pole-vaulting career, with the most recent issue being his rift with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association.
“My life was in the limelight for the past six or seven months… Knowing who people [can I] trust helped me to know who’ll be there with you in tough times,” he said.
To stay in shape for the 2023 season, Obiena aims to get back his strength and be as whole as possible to breach the six-meter mark.
“We’re gonna work on a lot of things that will make my vaulting more efficient than ever to maximize my potential going forward,” he said.
Obiena visited the University today for his Victory Homecoming at the Dr. Robert C. Sy Grand Ballroom in the BGPOP building.
The Asian record-holder will resume his quest for a Paris 2024 medal next week as he is set to continue training in Italy, with his first competition slated in January 2023.
