MANILA, September 16 ------ Filipino Olympian EJ Obiena wants to help the next generation of pole vaulters by providing them the tools to hone their craft. Obiena is giving back by helping raise funds to give aspiring Filipino pole vaulters the proper equipment to train, something he believes is lacking in the country.
He said the meet and greet event on Sunday with 300 fans doubles as a fundraiser for his goal to build pole vault pits across the country. "I am a bit shocked. It's quite a bit too much and I really apologize to everyone that was not able to come in," Obiena said of the warm reception he received especially at the event. "Thanks to them, we'll be able to donate pits all over the Philippines. I'm not donating one in Manila anymore, we have enough here I think. At least you know, equity wise, I want to do it in corners or places where there's really not a lot of facilities," he explained.
Obiena said there are only a few pole vault pits in the country like in his alma mater the University of Santo Tomas, Rizal Memorial Complex and in the Ultra Track Oval in Pasig. The world number three pole vaulter admitted that he can only do so much to raise more awareness and support for the sport. But he hopes his success on the world stage will help encourage others. "Right now I'm just an individual so my reach and my resources are very limited. This is why I'm very thankful for the opportunity I had today. All these girls that was there with me sa panel, they did this with the goodness of heart. Alyssa [Valdez] moved her flight, Jamie [Lim] adjusted. All of them. I told them that this is a fundraiser and with that they understood the goal," he said.
The Tondo, Manila native said the first step in pushing the sport in the country is to make it more accessible for all, not just those in Metro Manila and urbanized cities. "My goal is basically to make it conducive for kids to try it. I wanna take the opportunity that kids that want to do pole vault and have the place to do it. With that you create a bigger pool of talents. With that you have more medallists and more possible champions," Obiena added.
The Filipino Olympian said he's working with collegiate leagues to include pole vault especially at the juniors level. With more interest in the sport, Obiena hopes the government will not only put more attention on pole vault but also give more financial support. The Paris Olympics fourth placer said there is a lot of talent in the country, like Hockett Delos Santos, Obiena's former national teammate.
Source: spin.ph
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