ERNEST John (EJ) Obiena, the world’s third-ranked Filipino pole vaulter, has been forced to drop his hopes of returning for the remainder of his 2024 season due to a stress fracture in his vertebrae.
Filipino fans who want to see more of Obiena and support him in his quest to reclaim his world ranking or possibly outperform his former world ranking may have to wait longer.
A significant setback
Obiena acknowledged in a social media post on Wednesday that he suffered a serious injury and has decided to postpone his season sooner than expected in order to focus on his recuperation for the rest of the year.
“I am sorry to announce that I must call a premature close to my 2024 season,” confirmed Obiena on the start of his social media post.
“I intended to compete in three more competitions (ISTAF Berlin, Zurich Diamond League and Diamond League Final) before flying back to Manila.”
“However, during the Silesia Diamond League this past weekend, the same back pain that has bothered me all season flared up. Due to the continual spasms, I couldn’t finish my last few attempts,” he added.
Meanwhile, Obiena revealed that he immediately went to his doctor in Italy to get an MRI scan. Only to discover that he has a stress fractured spine, which was later verified by a CAT scan as a fractured L5 vertebrae.
Time to underscore health
Throughout the 2024 Paris Olympics, and even before appearing in the largest quadrennial sporting event, the 28-year-old Manila native has struggled to overcome lingering back discomfort and spasms.
“I have always kept faith and kept looking at the positives of any situation. I went out there to continue the season with one goal in mind. Accumulate some points and qualify for the Diamond League Final, I made it,” he shared.
“But it’s not meant to be. Competing in the Olympics with a spinal fracture was a risk I am willing to take (And as it ends up, I did take) but now I need to make decisions with my head, not my emotions.”
Following the Paris Olympics, the Filipino pole vaulter revealed his initial plans to lure his opponents to the Philippines and hold the Philippine Pole Vault championship. However, this will also be postponed.
“To avoid worsening the fracture, I shall prudently cancel my season, including the Philippines Pole Vault competition scheduled for September 20 (more information to follow on this),” he announced.
Hungry for a comeback
Despite being limited by a back issue, Obiena maintained a consistent ranking during his two post-Olympic competitions, finishing third and fifth in the first and second legs of the Diamond League, respectively.
But now that Obiena has recognized what has been hurting him, he is confident that he will be able to recuperate in time for the 2025 indoor season.
“Hopefully, now that I’ve identified the source of my back problems this year, with the required 4-weeks off to heal, I’m hoping to return pain-free and ready for the 2025 indoor season,” he added.
Obiena assured Filipino fans that he’ll come back stronger than ever, “The best thing to do right now, with ensuring my best future, is to rest and recuperate and come back even stronger.”
“I am going to honor my promise: “You’ll see more of me, and the Philippine flag will be raised on a global scale.” It will simply have to wait a bit longer!”
Patience, hard work, and prayers are some of the things Obiena will hold onto for the rest of the year. Despite another setback, the Filipino pole vaulter intends to make the journey to the summit sweeter.
