EJ Obiena at the stands after an attempt in the men’s pole vault qualification in the Tokyo Olympics. FRANCIS OCHOA
MANILA, Philippines—Call it nerves or whatnot, but EJ Obiena admitted feeling sluggish during his Olympic debut in the men’s pole vault but powered through to make the final in Tokyo Saturday at Olympic Stadium.
Obiena seemed to have no problem getting over the 5.50 and 5.65-meter heights during the qualifying stages but his momentum dropped in when it came to clearing 5.75m.
The world no.6 pole vaulter took three tries to clear 5.75 meters and his final attempt was, by all accounts, clutch as he clinched the fifth spot in Group A and the 10th seed overall to qualify for the medal round on Tuesday.
Obiena said he felt strange leading up to the qualifying event and he knows that his coach Vitaly Petrov would be telling him off for his showing.
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“I made it to the finals! I was just feeling very sluggish, which is really strange. I didn’t feel like myself until the bar got moved to 5.75m at first attempt. Then I moved back to my coach, and I don’t want to be very negative about it,” said Obiena.
“For the next round, I’ll talk to my coach about our game plan. I know he’s gonna be mad right now for what I did. I didn’t follow some of his calls, and I was struggling mentally, then I didn’t feel that confident.”
Obiena, who skipped the first jump at 5.30m, hit the bar in his first attempt at 5.75m and failed to complete his second.
With one last chance at the height, Obiena buckled down and cleared the bar cementing his place for the final.
“Going in was ok, but when I started to jump, that was the time I felt I was being myself. I felt slow but I felt good and confident,” said Obiena. “After my performance it made me realize that I need to start moving and feel normal.”
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