BY NICK GIONGCO
Pole vaulter EJ Obiena will keep himself neck-deep in training and immersed in competitions in the runup to the July 24-August 9 Tokyo Olympics, the Philippine Track and Field Association announced yesterday.
With just about everyone affected by the coronavirus, the team of Obiena is in the process of finalizing the blueprint for the Olympic buildup.
Competitions around Europe, not far from his Italian training camp, and events in Chula Vista, California, are on the table for Obiena, who became the first Olympic qualifier last September.
Obiena’s coach Vitaly Petrov of Ukraine is mentor to Olympic champion and six-time world champion Sergey Bubka, two-time Olympic gold medalist Yelena Isinbayeva and Italian Giuseppe Gibilisco, one-time world champion and Olympic bronze medalist.
In securing a Tokyo berth last year in Italy, Obiena did 5.80 meters and after topping the 2019 Southeast Asian Games here with ease, Obiena immediately returned to Italy to resume his training for the World and Asian Indoors in China originally set for next month.
The events have since been scrapped by the IAAF owing to the fast-spreading virus.
Apart from Obiena, other track and field bets in the thick of training and eyeing Olympic slots are three-time 400 m hurdles SEA Games gold medalist Eric Cray, who has to make 48.80 seconds or crack the world’s top 50 by June 29, 2020.
The 31-year-old Olongapo-born speedster has a 48.98 best time and is booked for competition starting March until June around the US.
Another US-based sprinter, Kristina Knott, SEAG queen in the 200-meters, is set to participate in the US, Japan and Italy while thrower Willie Morrison is on the brink of making the shot put grade of 21.10 meters after doing 20.21 in his native Indiana early this month.
Natalie Rose Uy, who mesmerized the home crowd like Obiena last year, will compete in Kentucky in the hopes of joining fellow pole vaulter Obiena.
As for another surprise gold provider in marathoner Christine Hallasgo, who has beaten premier entry Mary Joy Tabal two straight times, has decided to focus on defending her SEAG crown in 2021 in Vietnam given the odds of meeting the Olympic standard in her event.
