By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
EJ Obiena is eager to make up for a heartbreaking stint at the 2024 Paris Olympics when he competes in the Athletissima Lausanne Wanda Diamond League Meeting in Switzerland on Wednesday, Aug. 21.
The pole vault event, which will be held at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Lausanne, gathers 10 elite athletes, including eight Olympians who competed in Paris.
Spearheading the field is two-time Olympic champion Armand “Mondo” Duplantis of Sweden, who also established a new world record at 6.25 meters in Paris, as well as silver medalist Sam Kendricks of the United States and bronze winner Emmanouil Karalis of Greece.
Obiena, who slipped to No. 3 in the world rankings, is expected to move forward after missing the podium at the Olympics by a single jump and landed at fourth place.
This is the first tournament for most pole vaulters after their Olympics stint.
Also in the latest lineup are fellow Paris Olympians Sondre Guttormsen of Norway, Kurtis Marschall of Australia, Jacob Wooten and Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Chris Nilsen of the United States, and Thibaut Collet of France.
Nineteen-year-old local bet Valentin Imsand and veteran Renaud Lavillenie of France are also seeing action in the meet, which promises another thrilling competition among elite athletes.
After attending to personal commitments and celebrations with fellow Filipino Olympians in Manila, Obiena returned to Formia, Italy last week where he has been training for the past years.
“The measure of a man or woman is not a singular event — like the Olympics — but a cumulative or collective measure over time,” Obiena wrote on social media moments after his Paris stint.
“I finished fourth in Paris, close but not good enough… I commit to everyone now, I am back in training, I am back in the game, and I am going to attack the rest of the season and make you proud,” he added.
Obiena has a season-best of 5.97m he registered at the 6th Irena Szewinska Memorial in Poland last June. In Paris, he managed 5.90m.
