Emma Tiglao 0:17

Hello, EJ. I'm Emma Mary Tiglao. I represented the Philippines in Ms. Grand International stage, and we won the crown, and we got the back-to-back victory for the Philippines. I think this conversation, I really want to have this with you because I really want to know what's with your training, what's with the life of EJ Obiena, and what's your life like also outside?

EJ Obiena 0:46

Okay. I started when I was really young. I would say around six years old. I was raised in a family that's very heavily invested in the sport. So my dad was also a pole vaulter back in the day, represented the Philippines in Southeast Asian games, won a couple of silver medals there as well. So, you know, growing up, my dad would bring me to the track to when he's training, and that's how I got introduced to the sport. And the sport has always been a means to an end. How do you say this? The reason I shifted from hurdling, which was the first event I did for track and field, or in track and field, I shifted to pole vaulting because it was a quote-unquote easier route to get a better scholarship, for the schools, to get a better future. That's pretty much how I would say that's how I got into pole vaulting per se as a tool for me to get a better future.

Emma Tiglao 1:45

But imagine it's not really famous or known in the Philippines, right?

EJ Obiena 1:50

Yeah, not at all. But at that time it work, I guess I would say work in my favor. Um, it's easier to to be locally dominant when there's not a lot of athletes doing it. And scholarship, or thankfully, scholarships, were being offered in both NCAA schools, and UAAP schools, at that time. So yeah, work work my way, I would say.

Emma Tiglao 2:13

Remembering those days, are your trainings really difficult for you? Or because you're just six years old, it's like more on like playing.

EJ Obiena 2:25

Yes, more like fun. It really is like fun. I mean, I never really thought about pole vaulting as a sport until I was like in high school, where like I needed to be better than what I just wanted to be. So for me to be the cream of the crop, so that by the time I graduate, I'll get the offers that I wanted to, and I can choose which school I want to get into.

Emma Tiglao 2:49

A while ago, you talk about your father, your father coached you.

EJ Obiena 2:54

Yes, growing up, my my dad was my first coach until I was 18, I would say.

Emma Tiglao 3:02

You have one lesson you can share with us that is really unforgettable for you that your father taught you.

EJ Obiena 3:10

I think my dad has taught me like early on that everything that's great in life requires sacrifice. So everything that I want to achieve. If I don't want to be average, I need to do something that's not average. It's just the fact of anything in life. And I think I learned that early on, and he he did tell me if you want to get to that school, this school, you want to get the scholarship, you need to sacrifice some part of your life to be able to achieve that, or else you're just gonna be one of the many. And yeah, having that, it's a good, how do you say, wake-up call and realization to have as a young kid.

Emma Tiglao 3:52

For you to be serious on what you're doing, right?

EJ Obiena 3:56

Yeah.

Emma Tiglao 3:57

And talking about sacrifice, what did you sacrifice to be the EJ Obiena right now?

EJ Obiena 4:03

Uh, it's a lot. I mean, I don't think that we have enough time for that, but it's just growing up.

Emma Tiglao 4:09

Maybe, just give us like one.

EJ Obiena 4:12

Probably, social life when I was young, like in high school, you know, hang out with friends and all these things. I don't really get to do that. Uh so I stay, so my school is near Masangkay, so I would need to, as soon as the bell rings, go to the LRT station in Bambang, get on that, um, go to Vito Cruz, get down and go to the track to train. So I don't really have a lot of, let's say, friends in those moments with friends growing up. That's something that um, yeah, I needed to put aside or put in number two so that I could get to where I want to be. The pride of being able to say that I put myself to school, it's something that I'm very proud of, something that I it's like a badge of honor for me that you know I was able to go to a school that I want to go to, study, do all of that by myself. That's for me is something to be proud of, understand, yeah, understand the sacrifices, but you know, it is what it is.

Emma Tiglao 5:15

And with all of those things, you became an inspiration to all of the people, not just Filipinos, but a lot of kids right now. And for you, who's your inspiration? We just want to know. Like, is there special someone that you wanted to share this moment?

EJ Obiena 5:36

Um, one of the biggest inspirations I would say is my coach, my ex-coach now, uh, Vitaly [Petrov], because when he took me under his swing, he had everything that he could have won. I mean, basically, he's the best coach out there, arguably by far. So, what motivated me also to be better is just seeing this guy who was at that time almost 80 years old, like doing everything that needs to be done, to be in the track to, to be so energetic, to really pump us up to train the best possible way, and understanding that this guy doesn't really need to be here, and this guy doesn't really need to have this energy. This guy, how do you say, has won everything that could be won and still have that passion? And I think that that really inspired me, that showed me what passion can actually do. Like someone that's passionate about something really could achieve incredible things.

Emma Tiglao 6:42

At this stage of your career, what is the challenge you are dealing with that people watching your competitions might not see that you want to share with us?

EJ Obiena 6:55

I guess right now it's also like mental struggles when it comes to wanting to do and pushing myself. I'm at a point in my career where I've done also a lot of things that I never thought I would ever do or achieve. And I've by far exceeded expectation of my dad, of my coach, of myself, even. So I'm at that stage where I'm really happy where I'm at, but at the same time, I do believe I could achieve more. So being able to constantly to put it into context as an athlete, you want to be doing everything at 100% of what you're capable of doing to maximize the time that you put in into the track to. But the reality of it, it's hard to know where where that is. And the mental side of that is being able to be motivated and driven every day, every minute of training. So that's something that's not very simple when you're considering about the things that Filipino athletes in general need to deal with, or in my case, also my own stuff that I need to deal with. So mentally, that is, I think, tough that probably people don't see. It's that those silent battles that it's like, okay, one more rep, one more repetition, I'm so tired. Don't skip the training, just one step at a time. That's kind of push. It's very, very difficult to see that unless you're with me day by day and like you see the struggles. So I would say that.

Emma Tiglao 8:42

If there a time like you just want to give up?

EJ Obiena 8:47

It's a lot of times, a lot of times, I would say. I mean, it's not because I don't love what I do. Sometimes circumstances fall in in your lap and you're given a choice, and sometimes even how much you love something, there's gonna be a time where you need to let it go. And those times , I've come close to those things, and it might have been a blessing or not, but yeah, I mean, uh yeah, those times come.

Emma Tiglao 9:21

Of course, you're just human, you know.

EJ Obiena 9:24

Of course.

Emma Tiglao 9:27

Because there are a lot of people also they are struggling, and in their mind, they just don't want to continue. They just want to give up. So if you will give an advice or you want to share experience how you get back up, can you share to those people who are struggling right now and those people who are thinking that they want to give up?

EJ Obiena 9:56

That's tough because I don't think there's a wrong answer at that point. Um, choosing to quit or not to quit whatever you decide to do afterward really defines it what you did, your decision is it the right one, the wrong one. So, what I mean by that is like you can decide to quit and do something else all over for your life or something different. That's doesn't mean you've failed, you know, that means you've moved on. But then it's difficult, it's a difficult decision, it's a very personal one. And I would say you gotta dig deep and really understand why you're doing what you're doing, and what's this thing that's stopping you? If this like, is this something that's been there consistently that's been dragging you? And is it really the time to to quit? Like all good things takes time. I mean, the Great Wall of China was not built in a day. I mean, yeah, you know, some days you're gonna suffer, some days you're not gonna be wanting to do what you want to do, but if it comes to that point that you're really about to let it go, I think you you would understand yourself and like just try to see why you're doing what you're doing. And if it still makes sense for you, go power through this like slump per se and keep moving forward. But if you understood that it is actually the time, doesn't mean that uh I'm not saying quitting is a good thing, it's just sometimes we need to move on, like all things in life, like there are phases, and that phase could come to anyone else.

Emma Tiglao 11:44

Next we move on. You had this. Sorry, we need to tackle this one because I think this is like a part of your challenge, also, when you had the back injury. Can you tell us your experience from that?

EJ Obiena 12:05

If there's gonna be a word to describe [it], frustrating? It's a very frustrating injury to have because I mean every injury is, but like that is just frustrating. I pretty much was most of the time clueless what would aggravate it, what would make me not able to continue, what are the things, and there's there seems to be no solution um at that point. So having it in an Olympic year definitely didn't help. It's an important year for for any athlete's career. So having a back injury back in 2024 was very frustrating for me. It was just trying to make it work, not training as hard to not aggravate the back, but make sure that I'm still fit. It's a tricky thing to balance. And as an athlete, you want to push in training. Like I said, you want to maximize every minute that you're in the track to, but then now there's another, let's say, another thing that you need to think about. You can't push yourself to how far you want to push because you might aggravate it, and then the next day might be worse. So that fine line is is very frustrating as an athlete, and it's impossible to get perfect. There's gonna be days that you think, oh, feel I feel great, and then you keep jumping, and then boom, you spasm your back and you're out for three days, which doesn't mean that you're maximizing you know the situation you're in. But it's hard to know, it's hard to figure out, and uh yeah, you gotta sometimes make decisions that are long-term better for you. But at the same time, it's Olympics, it only happens every four years. So if there's a band-aid fix that you can do, that's long-term might not be the best thing for you. Sometimes you gotta take that risk. So I think I did a bit of both, and yeah, the irony of that is they say sports is healthy for people, but I would say at the elite level, not necessarily. It is not the healthiest thing to do.

Emma Tiglao 14:30

How about your parents or your family during that time?

EJ Obiena 14:35

Um, I don't really I don't want them to worry. I'm living very far from them, so I don't really tell them the full extent of it. They just know I feel pain in my back. That's it. I mean, I tell them like I'm so frustrated today in training, but they don't really have a good grasp of like what it's completely all about. My team and the people I work with know it the most.

Emma Tiglao 14:58

And which competition are you preparing for next? Where are we going to see EJ Obiena next?

EJ Obiena 15:09

So, right now I don't have like a specific uh competition. What I'm preparing for, I'm preparing for a season. So the indoor season would start from January of 2027 and end in March 2027. So that's what I'm preparing for. Um, calendar competitions have not been finalized yet, but uh I have already a couple of meets that I would want to do. Um we'll see. Um, I would love to be able to jump six meters multiple times this indoors. That's uh that's a goal that I believe is achievable for me. Uh yeah, it would set me up in uh in a good way come the outdoor season as well.

Emma Tiglao 15:48

How about your training right now? Can you share us some of it? Like, do you do everyday training? Can you tell us a day in the life of EJ Obiena

EJ Obiena 16:00

Um we train nine times a week. So we jump or we pole vault roughly two to three times. It really depends on how the body feels. So right now it's a foundation, base work, where the sheer amount of workload is just a lot. So oftentimes at night, you're just exhausted, you're tired, you don't want to do other things. So that's the phase that we're in. Um, yeah, we're building the base basically so that um by the time when we compete, we have enough gas to really power to it at the highest quality that we could.

Emma Tiglao 16:36

Outside pole vaulting, what is your hobby? Like what do you really love to do aside from pole vaulting.

EJ Obiena 16:46

I love driving cars, like driving fast cars, like let's say sports cars, like yeah, just just that in general is something that I think is there's a calming thing hearing the road and the tires and just feeling how much you can push the car. There's a beauty into it, and that's something I really enjoy. Doesn't necessarily need to be like an expensive car, it's just even karting. You know, I love going to karting and racing with friends. It's just that experience for me is uh it's blissful, it's nice. I love playing tennis, it's something I would like to do more, but unfortunately, um when you're training and the sheer amount of training is already tiring, and you put tennis into it. I, like you said, I'm only human, can't do everything, unfortunately.

Emma Tiglao 17:42

That's very awesome, yeah.

EJ Obiena 17:43

Exactly. So yeah, we do some of that. I would say those two are are my main go-to.

Emma Tiglao 17:53

Oh, so if you love to play tennis, you had experience to play with Alex Eala?

EJ Obiena 18:01

I was able to hit a couple of balls with her in Japan in Nagoya after her tournament. So yeah, it was it was cool. I've never played with a lefty, so it was nice to to get a feel of what uh what's like to hit with the top tennis player in the world.

Emma Tiglao 18:20

How was it? How was the experience? Can you share us some of it?

EJ Obiena 18:23

Like I mean, it's very nerve-wracking because the Philippine tennis team was there watching, and I've not held the racket for I think at least four or five months at that point. So it's just like, okay, let's just try to hit the ball and put it in the court on the other side. Like, like let's not embarrass ourselves here.

Emma Tiglao 18:42

So the competitive EJ Obiena is there

EJ Obiena 18:46

Of course. I mean, you know, eyes are on you. I mean, I just defended my Asian title, and then I'm playing with Alex, and people are gonna be expecting, oh, this guy loves tennis, he must be good. No, I love tennis, tennis doesn't love me back. So just to be, you know, put it out there. I'm I'm a huge tennis fan, but I'm not a good tennis player.

Emma Tiglao 19:08

And then after that, you had also a little bonding together.

EJ Obiena 19:13

Yeah, yeah, a little bit of uh, I mean, I knew Alex, I don't know how many years now. Um, before she was, I think it's wrong to say before she was Alex, or she was already Alex just before more people know what she's capable of doing. Um yeah, it's nice to be able to hang out. You know, we're both pretty busy in the season, you know. The tennis season spreads out all over Europe and the world, so we don't exactly like have a lot of time to kind of hang around, but thankfully for me, my season was was done at that point, and hers intersected in that. There's like a few days that she had off. So we had a couple of uh good time, I would say. I really enjoyed my my time with the Philippine tennis team. It's such a unique group for an individual sport to have a team that closely knit. It's a beautiful thing.

Emma Tiglao 20:13

Next, EJ, I just want to know. Let's go back to the arena when you do pole vaulting, when you compete. I just want to know what's on your mind before you run.

EJ Obiena 20:32

Don't mess this up most of the time. Don't mess this up, or if there's any adjustment that my coach would have said, that would be the only thing that's in my mind. I try to be as focused at every vault as I can. Uh, what that means is I try to ignore everything else. So I have this peripheral awareness of where I'm at, what position I'm in, and what it means to jump this bar. But every vote is unique. So I want to be able to focus and concentrate on that and not think about okay, if I miss this, I get this. If I jump this, I get that. Just focus on making the bar and like competing at the best of my ability, I think, means doing that.

Emma Tiglao 21:19

Another thing, what does representing our country mean to you at this stage of your career?

EJ Obiena 21:26

Yeah, I love the pressure that it comes and it brings, and the privilege of representing the flag is always gonna be cherished. It's like it's almost like a fact. But what does it mean for me now? That's actually a tough question for me to answer right now because I don't really have a like a just one answer. It's multiple factors, you know. Right now, I would say the country needs some good news. So having being able to represent the country and Still be able to win the region and be a global athlete. It brings hope, it brings happiness, it brings some kind of light in the gloomy day. Let's put it that way. And the second thing maybe is I still want to prove and I hope I can continue to continuously show that you know we're too truly global. Like uh Philippines, as much as it is a small country down in Southeast, it's not something that we should forget. Like you said, you won it in your field, you know. That's means something that we're capable of being the best in the world. And that I think that reminder is always important. Um you don't. Filipinos are very humble. We're very humble people. And sometimes we forget that we are capable of doing amazing things, and that we're not inferior to any other race, we're not inferior to any other, anyone, to be honest. We're unique in in that way, and maybe even better in some ways. So continuously competing and winning in a field where it's heavily dominated by non-Asians, it's a pride and honor. So I don't really know. It's a much more complex question that I could really answer right now.

Emma Tiglao 23:29

If you could speak to the young EJ, who was just starting out when we started a conversation, who's just a six-year-old EJ, what would you want him to understand about the journey that you had?

EJ Obiena 23:45

I if I would be able to just like give like an advice to a younger me, just hold on and like get ready for a ride of a lifetime. It's your hobby that would bring you to places you're never thought to. So just enjoy the ride, smell the roses when you can and live it the way you see fit. And I think that that would set maybe set a better route, I guess. Yeah.

Emma Tiglao 24:17

The young EJ would be so so proud, even if he sacrificed a lot.

EJ Obiena 24:22

I hope. I hope.

Emma Tiglao 24:22

Emma Tiglao 24:22

How about the young athletes, Filipino athletes? Do you have any message or advice to them?

EJ Obiena 24:30

Oh, for them, I think it's a much easier thing. Enjoy and have fun what you do. You're not gonna be an athlete for the rest of your life. It's a brief moment in a long time that you're gonna live. So I would say have fun, enjoy it, cherish it, do it justice, do it like the best way that you could.

Emma Tiglao 24:56

How about your supporters, not just the Filipinos, but you have a lot of International fans also, EJ? Do you have something to say, a message to them?

EJ Obiena 25:07

Yeah, I would say thank you very much for you know following my journey. It's been uh it's been a long one, I would say. It's been a colorful one as well. It's been uh filled with ups and downs, and sticking and following it is not the easiest thing to do. But for that, I thank you. I really appreciate the people who follow the journey. It makes what I what I do mean more than what it actually is. And with that, you make you make this sport of mind means more than what it is. So I really appreciate it. I'm really thankful for that. I'm really blessed to be in such a position. So Maraming Salamat.

Emma Tiglao 25:48

EJ, where do you see yourself five years from now?

EJ Obiena 25:52

Hopefully, with an Olympic medal on my neck and be able to complete the collection of that and be happy. Yeah, and healthy.

Emma Tiglao 26:05

You should you should be happy and healthy. Do you have like a goal? Like if you reach this specific um amount or medals, then you will stop.

EJ Obiena 26:19

Before, yeah. I would say I used to, but it was never, how do you say this. I've just wanted to win everything in you know. It's always there's some a bigger peak, there's a higher mountain to climb. Initially, I just wanted to be the best in the Philippines, so done that. Then the next is like, oh, can I be the best in Southeast Asia? Done that. Let's see, can I be the best in Asia? Achieved it. And then the next one is like, can I be the best Asian who have ever done this in the history of the sport? So there's always something more and more, and it's a good stepping stone or or target, I would say, but it's never really how do you say, okay, I achieved this, I'm done. It's very difficult to do that. I am enjoying what I do, I love what I do. I'm blessed to be able to do what I do, and it's a blessing. So for now, I'm really having fun, and I think I'm doing justice to what I represent. I represent the country, and um I still am, I still do believe I'm capable of competing in the best with the best in the world. And until all of those are true, I think I'll be here. It's um much more, much brighter perspective than I used to have.

Emma Tiglao 27:48

There is no specific count, as long as you can, you will do it for the Philippines and for your family, of course.

EJ Obiena 27:55

And for myself as well, of course.

Emma Tiglao 27:57

Yes, this is really important. Yes, so thank you so much for representing our country always, and for doing your best.

EJ Obiena 28:09

Same to you.

Emma Tiglao 28:09

Thank you for sharing your experience and the lessons and giving us a closer look at the work that you've done and your preparation right now, even though you don't have this specific competition yet. Please know that all the Filipinos are behind you cheering for you, supporting you, and praying for you. We appreciate your time and thank you so much.

EJ Obiena 28:33

Thank you. Thank you, thank you so much.