TWO-TIME Olympian and Asia’s top pole vaulter EJ Obiena is locked in on defending his Southeast Asian Games title for the fourth time at the 33rd edition of the biennial meet.
With no competitions lined up before the SEA Games set for December 9 to 20 in Bangkok, Thailand, the 29-year-old Asian champion is dedicating his time to conditioning and training.
‘My last meet was in September in Makati. The next is the SEA Games. There’s no time to relax,’ Obiena told BusinessMirror.
He’s keeping a close eye on Thai rival Patsapong Amsamarng, who cleared 5.67 meters for bronze at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea.
‘He’ll be competing at home, so I have to be ready. But the good thing is, I’m healthy-no pain, everything’s on track,’ Obiena said.
Obiena, who matched his season-best 5.80 meters at the Atletang Ayala meet in Makati, has since returned to Formia, Italy to continue intensive training under coach Vitaly Petrov.
Obiena is one of the country’s top gold medal bets, having won SEA Games gold in 2019 (Philippines), 2022 (Hanoi), and 2023 (Cambodia).