By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
The Philippines launches its campaign in the 2023 World Athletics Championships with Olympian pole vaulter EJ Obiena seeking another historic feat in Budapest, Hungary.
Obiena, ranked No. 3 in the world, starts his bid in the qualifications on Aug. 23 with a goal of making into the finals – and on the podium once again – on Aug. 26.
The Asian record holder bagged the historic bronze medal in last year’s edition in Eugene, Oregon behind world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden and American Chris Nilsen.
But the 27-year-old Obiena is going into the competition with so much confidence, having joined the exclusive 6-meter mark in the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway last June and briefly taking over the world No. 2 spot late in July.
As expected, Obiena would be facing some of his fiercest rivals that include Duplantis, Nilsen, Americans KC Lightfoot and Sam Kendricks and Australian Kurtis Marschall, to name a few.
Meanwhile, two other Filipinos are also seeing action in the global event with Olympian Eric Cray and Asian champion Robyn Brown plunging into action in the men’s and women’s 400-meter hurdles, respectively.
Cray, a former Asian champion and multiple Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, will be the first to plunge into action on Sunday, Aug. 20, where he seeks a spot in the semifinals slated Aug. 21. The finals are scheduled on Aug. 23.
This would be the second time that Cray would be competing in the Worlds after seeing action in the 2013 edition held in Moskva, Russia. He also competed in the same event, but failed to advance after getting disqualified due to a false start.
At 34, Cray has been trying to defy Father Time – his latest achievement was retaining his SEAG crown for the sixth time in Cambodia last May.
Fellow Fil-American Brown, meanwhile, will vie on Monday, Aug. 21 for a spot in the semis on Aug. 22 and the finals on Aug. 24.
Brown, a national record holder, is coming off a morale-boosting performance at the Asian Championships in Bangkok, Thailand last month where she bagged the gold medal and became the first Filipino female athlete to win in the tournament since long jumper Marestella Torres in 2009.
