Former UAAP champion Jia Kawachi saw EJ Obiena’s staging of the National Pole Vault Competition as a milestone for the sport in the basketball-crazy Philippines.
Ateneo’s Jia Kawachi gave EJ Obiena his flowers after the successful staging of the National Pole Vault Competition on Saturday, Sept. 20.
This after Kawachi wound up third in the competition at the Ayala Triangle Gardens made possible by the two-time Olympian.
“It’s such a milestone, this event, for Philippine pole vault. I’ve been jumping for almost a decade now, this is the first time something like this happened,” said Kawachi, who wound up third after clearing 3.40m.
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The event — a prelude to the Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge where Obiena will lock horns against the likes of Ersu Sasma and Menno Vloon — was unlike any other for the former UAAP champion.
“It’s heartwarming to see everyone cheering for us, clapping for us. The energy was so high,” said Kawachi, who recently earned her Master of Science in Sustainability Management from Ateneo.
[ALSO READ: EJ Obiena elated as Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge finally gets going]
Kawachi, the 2024 PATAFA Weekly Relay Series Pole Vault champion, is beaming with hope this could be a springboard for the unheralded sport in this basketball-crazy nation.
“We just hope everyone enjoyed as much as we did. We hope to also inspire more people to learn more about pole vault, try pole vault and spread the word about this wonderful sport,” she said.
[ALSO READ: Hokett Delos Santos surprise addition to EJ Obiena's Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge]
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.