MANILA, March 5 ------ Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena announced that he is set to miss the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships, though he also assured his supporters that he is in good shape for the season. Instead, the two-time Olympian will put his focus on the outdoor season, wherein he will represent the Philippines in several high-profile competitions.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Obiena provided an update on his 2025 campaign, sharing that the back pain that hampered him last year has greatly improved and that his training is "looking better." However, he also acknowledged that his results so far have not been consistent. Obiena set a season-best of 5.80-meters last February 16 in the Copernicus Cup in Toruń, before vaulting 5.65-m in the Estonian Indoor Championships. "Vaulting has been a roller-coaster, with huge ups and downs. Being consistent takes repetition after repetition which takes time," said Obiena. "Even though there is still time to qualify for the World Indoor Championships, there are no more competitions left for me to participate in." "The last competition was on the 16th of February in Toruń, Poland and the next one that I got is Mondo Classic on the 13th of March, which is already outside the qualification period," he added. "I can promise you all that my team and I have scoured the calendar for possible competitions but NO LUCK. With this I would inevitably miss the championships." he noted.
Obiena had placed ninth in last year's World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, with a mark of 5.65-m. World record-holder Mondo Duplantis won that event by clearing 6.05-m. This year's World Indoor Championships is set for March 21-23 in Nanjing, China. Rather than dwell on the lost opportunity, Obiena said he will "prioritize and prepare for the upcoming outdoor competition," which includes the World Championships, the Asian Championships, and the Southeast Asian Games. "The key is to go into the outdoor season healthy and ready to compete at the highest level. It is also important to defend what I have already achieved in these championships," said Obiena, the reigning gold medalist in both the Asian Championships and the SEA Games. "Believe me, I am in a much better shape than what the result is reflecting and I am not stopping there," he added.
The 29-year-old Obiena, who is currently ranked fourth in the world, will return to action on March 13 in the Mondo Classic in Uppsala, Sweden.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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