Ernest John Obiena (C) of the Philippines, Huang Bokai (L) of China and Hussain Al-Hizam (R) of Saudi Arabia attend the awarding ceremony for the men's pole vault at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Sept. 30, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)
EJ Obiena of the Philippines, China's Huang Bokai, and Hussain Al-Hizam of Saudi Arabia showed their friendly competitiveness at the Hangzhou Asian Games, aiming to put Asian pole vault to new heights.
HANGZHOU, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena had much to celebrate at the Hangzhou Asian Games, clinching the Philippines' first gold medal and setting an Asian Games record. His success is undoubtedly the result of years of hard training, but it also reflects friendship and international cooperation.
Obiena arrived in Hangzhou about a week ahead of the official opening of the Games, facing logistical challenges with the Philippine delegation. Hussain Al-Hizam of Saudi Arabia generously offered Obiena to stay with the Saudi camp and share training facilities.
Huang Bokai (R), Ernest John Obiena (C) and Hussain Al-Hizam celebrate with the fans. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
The trio of Obiena, Al-Hizam, and China's Huang Bokai, trained under the guidance of coach Vitaly Petrov. Over the years, they've built a strong bond, training together in Europe and traveling the world for international competitions.
"I am from a country which is not very rich. I needed to come here earlier, and I did a camp, actually the camp of Saudi Arabia. They welcomed me with open arms. I was able to train and eat," said Obiena. "When I came here, Bokai was basically like 'I will do what exactly you need.' Just such a warm feeling," he added.
Having secured podium finishes in 14 out of the 15 events he participated in this season, Obiena entered the Asian Games as the odds-on favorite for the gold medal. As expected, he dominated the pole vault final, clearing a height of 5.90 meters to win gold, 25cm ahead of his nearest competitors, Huang and Al-Hizam.
Ernest John Obiena competes in the final at the Hangzhou Asian Games. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
Obiena attempted to break his own Asian record by setting the bar at 6.02m but missed all three attempts. "I didn't want to stop at 5.90," Obiena told reporters. "I'm excited to take this medal, put it on a shelf, but I would have liked to hit a record in front of an Asian crowd. That would have been amazing."
The electric atmosphere in the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, with Huang and Al-Hizam cheering him on, made Obiena feel like "a villain" for beating his 'teammates' to the gold. "If there was a way for three golds, I would have loved it. Unfortunately, I still have a job to do for my country."
In the eyes of Huang and Al Hizam, the 27-year-old Filipino has elevated pole vaulting to a new level in Asia. "For Asians, pole vaulting hasn't been the most decorated event in track and field," Al-Hizam noted, adding that Obiena's achievement of 5.90m sets a new standard for the sport in Asia.
Ernest John Obiena (L) and Armand Duplantis of Sweden clap hands during the men's pole vault final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Aug. 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Lili)
Obiena has been a close rival to world record-holder Armand Duplantis, challenging him at the world championships in Budapest. After clearing the height of 6.00 meters, Obiena asked for attempting 6.10m in a bid to challenge the Swede. Although Obiena failed, Duplantis did admit that he felt the pressure.
Huang acknowledged Obiena's impact, stating, "I want to say 'thank you' to E.J. (OBIENA) because you are here to prove we can reach six meters even though we're Asian and we can compete with Europeans."
With the rise of Huang and Al-Hizam, Obiena believes that the best is yet to come for Asia's pole vault. "There was only me in the worlds final last year, but three Asians this time. It's a good step up. From one to two is good, but one to three is different," he said. ■
