In an alternate timeline, all those medals for the Philippines would not have been won.
Ernest John “EJ” Obiena was once upon a time disowned by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), the same national sports association duly mandated by law to support him. He was, in fact, excluded from the national team a year ago and dropped from the Southeast Asian Games lineup.
Feelings were hurt. Reputations were smeared. Loyalties were questioned.
Through it all, Obiena kept choosing the Philippines. And when a resolution was ultimately reached allowing Obiena to continue representing Team Pilipinas, he has done so with aplomb, bringing honor and glory to the country with podium finish after podium finish in men's pole vault.
Just this weekend, in fact, Obiena secured another gold medal—his third in 2023 so far—by topping the Orlen Cup held in Lodz, Poland. The 27-year-old’s latest victory comes on the heels of his third-place finish at the Mondo Classic held in Uppsala, Sweden, where the former Olympian tied his personal best of 5.91 meters. It also puts Obiena’s 2023 medal haul at five (3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze).
In all, Obiena has won a lifetime’s worth of accolades after the PATAFA controversy, proving unequivocally that he deserves to be part of the national team. Since all that drama, Obiena has brought home 23 medals, including the 5 he has won this year alone and the 18 he copped last year. And he could have won more had his season started in January instead of May—a repercussion of the PATAFA brouhaha forcing Obiena to miss out on several competitions in the first quarter of 2022.
So, from May 2022 to date, Obiena has won 15 gold, 3 silver, and 5 bronze medals—not bad for someone who was once disowned and crucified by the association supposed to support him.
Obiena, though, isn’t even finished. He is right smack in his prime, which means more podium finishes are likely to be had—including one, perhaps, in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Imagine all that glory down the drain had PATAFA—specifically its former president, Philip Ella Juico—gotten its way last year.