“You know, Renaud (Lavillenie) was leading, the odds have been in his go for, but Thiago simply wanted it so bad he managed to get work. He produced 6.03 on most significant stage off his existence within his home nation and a keen Olympic checklist. That’s simply in love.

“And then I am really eager for this and i really would like that. I’m only focusing on whatever you may improve my personal chances of providing silver one to date.

“We’ll see just what goes at the time by itself and you may planning indeed there, now the greater leaps that we get, more techniques that we see, the greater consistent I can be, the higher which i can jump, it simply helps everything sorts of raise my potential thereon go out.”

How EJ Obiena became a pole vaulter

“It wasn’t like, Okay, now i’m likely to be a-pole vaulter,” jokes EJ, “I happened to be a great hurdler earliest up to senior school.”

“However, my personal dad’s a pole vaulter, so we only go out and sometimes We starred doing with it. I adored Iranian damer i Amerika new 100 % free slide. For me in order to plunge off a diving panel 10 yards large, I’ll be scared s. but can you imagine We generate a good four metre pole vault, even aided, and I am 100 % free shedding, I like the individuals times. That is you to moment of enjoyment you create.

“In some way it generates they less scary and that’s the kind of the activity. One to moment when my father are kind of flinging me to brand new pit are fun. Given that a young child, during the time, I became eg, oh, this might be sweet. Needs it. I just must remain carrying it out.”

“Up coming during the senior school, I was such as for instance, Okay, I want to test it out for since there’s race I will actually join.”

EJ are an organic, one another his mommy Jeanette and you will dad Emerson was basically track-and-field athletes. Dad illustrated the brand new Philippines regarding The southern part of Far eastern Online game, mommy went obstacles on her behalf school.

“I always spotted (Sergey) Bubka expanding up given that a pole vaulter, always such as the ways the guy sprang, I usually noticed Daichi Sawano away from Japan, he had been such as for example a really short dude however, rapidly. And additionally, the 2004 Olympic champ Tim Mack, usually fun viewing your since the they are brand of an enthusiastic unorthodox form from question.

“I appreciated seeing Filipino much time jumper Henry Decmil, after which my father and his awesome friends. I’d a good amount of inspirations!

“Slower and you can absolutely, they establish personally, are competitive inside my age bracket after which in the united kingdom it simply form of progressed, you know, I was thinking it was a thing that may get me a great scholarship into the college, a no cost ride, and I happened to be for example competing towards Philippines while the a great junior. I thought I can be good during the Southeast Western top.”

Ej Obiena matches Sergey Bubka

As he had a message saying the newest Ukranian traditions legend Sergey Bubka – just who stored thirty five pole-vault business details, half a dozen business titles and you will an Olympic gold medal – was a student in city, EJ went in search of a photo otherwise a keen autograph and you can had a whole lot more.

“We wouldn’t be where I am now in place of your, he exposed plenty, many doors for me. I’d haven’t satisfied my personal advisor, wouldn’t provides fulfilled my personal degree spouse, I would not also be within the Italy now. I wouldn’t have made most of the behavior Used to do rather than conference your.

“I happened to be simply a keen 18 year-old moving four yards, nothing sensational about it. And he told you, ‘if your dive five yards, we shall deliver so you can Italy, you are able to train’, as well as that time I watched world-class sports athletes each and every day and this form of open my personal eyes while the a kid coming off South east Western region in which tune isn’t that large.