EJ Obiena celebrates return to world’s top 10 pole vault rankings
Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena took to social media to celebrate a milestone in his career after making his way back onto the world’s top 10 rankings.
“Crawled my way back to the Top 10 in the [world],” he wrote in his Instagram page.
Reflecting on his latest achievement, EJ shared a quote attributed to philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche about pursuing seemingly impossible goals.
“Nietzsche: I know of no better life purpose than to perish in attempting the great and the impossible. The fact that something seems impossible shouldn’t be a reason to not pursue it. That’s exactly what makes it worth pursuing.”
He went on: “Where would the courage and greatness be, if success is certain and there was no risk? The only true failure is shrinking away from life’s challenges.”
Fans were quick to congratulate EJ on his latest achievement and express their continued support for his journey.
“To more heights to come 🤞🙌,” one fan wrote.
“Always a fan and a believer that you can💪 God bless you🙏,” another fan said.
EJ moved up to 10th place in the world rankings with 1,320 points, climbing one spot from his previous position at No. 11 at the beginning of the year.
The Filipino athlete recently clinched the gold medal in the men’s pole vault event at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. EJ also established a new Asian Games record after clearing 5.91 meters.
The Filipino pole vaulter is anticipated to compete in the upcoming World Athletics Championships and Southeast Asian Games in 2027 as he aims to clear the six-meter mark, which he previously attained in 2023.
“I think it’s a matter of time, I think I jumped 5.90 [meters] in perfect conditions. [During the Asian Games], it was raining hard, but I still jumped 5.91 [meters] and broke the record,” he said as reported by Inquirer.
“I think that says a lot about where I’m at. So why not? I think I’m capable of doing that. I’m in a good place, and my coach (Marcin Szczepanski) believes that,” he added.