„You know, Renaud (Lavillenie) is actually top, the odds have been in the favour, however, Thiago simply wanted it so incredibly bad which he caused it to be work. The guy generated 6.03 to the most significant phase from his lifestyle within his family country and you may an Olympic checklist. That’s only in love.
„Nowadays I am really starving for the and i really would like you to. I’m merely doing precisely what you can expect to improve my personal possibility of delivering silver that date.
„We shall see what happens at the time alone and you may going in indeed there, today the greater amount of leaps which i grab, more approach that we see, the greater uniform I can end up being, the greater that we can jump, it simply support everything sort of improve my potential on 
that time.”
How EJ Obiena turned into a-pole vaulter
„It wasn’t such as, Okay, i am just likely to be a pole vaulter,” laughs EJ, „I found myself a hurdler basic until senior school.”
„But my personal dad’s a-pole vaulter, therefore we only hang out and often I played as much as with it. We loved the brand new 100 % free fall. For me to help you dive from a diving board ten metres highest, I’ll be scared s. however, what if I build a beneficial five metre pole-vault, even helped, after which I am free dropping, I adore those individuals minutes. That’s one second of pleasure you will be making.
„In some way it will make it reduced terrifying and that’s the kind out-of the sport. One to moment whenever dad is brand of flinging us to new pit is actually fun. Once the a kid, at that time, I was like, oh, this will be nice. I want so it. I just should keep doing it.”
„After that through the highschool, I became like, Ok, I do want to have a go while the there is battle I could in fact subscribe.”
EJ is actually an organic, both their mother Jeanette and you can dad Emerson was indeed track and field athletes. Father depicted the Philippines on the The southern part of Asian Game, mom went difficulties on her behalf university.
„I usually watched (Sergey) Bubka expanding up due to the fact a-pole vaulter, constantly including the ways he popped, I usually saw Daichi Sawano off Japan, he had been eg a tremendously short dude however, rapidly. As well as, the fresh new 2004 Olympic winner Tim Mack, constantly enjoyable enjoying him as he or she is sort of an enthusiastic unorthodox kind out of thing.
„I enjoyed seeing Filipino much time jumper Henry Decmil, then my father and his awesome friends. I got an abundance of motivations!
„More sluggish and undoubtedly, it set up for my situation, getting aggressive inside my age bracket immediately after which in the united states it brand of progressed, you understand, I imagined it absolutely was something might get me personally a scholarship to your school, a free experience, thereafter I happened to be for example fighting into Philippines once the an effective junior. I thought I can be great during the Southeast Western level.”
Ej Obiena fits Sergey Bubka
When he had a contact claiming new Ukranian lifestyle legend Sergey Bubka – whom held 35 pole vault business details, half a dozen globe headings and you can an Olympic silver medal – was at urban area, EJ went interested in a photograph or an autograph and you can got significantly more.
„We would not be in which I’m now in place of him, he established plenty, a good amount of gates in my situation. I would personally have-not came across my personal mentor, would not has actually came across my personal degree lover, We wouldn’t be also into the Italy today. I won’t are making all of the choices I did without meeting him.
„I became simply a keen 18 year old bouncing four metres, nothing sensational about it. In which he said, ‘if your diving five yards, we shall send you to Italy, you’ll train’, and at that time I noticed top notch sports athletes each and every day hence variety of unsealed my personal sight as a young child upcoming regarding South-east Western region in which tune is not that big.