Philippines’ EJ Obiena competes in the men’s pole vault final of the athletics event at the Paris Olympics Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 5, 2024. Image: AFP/Antonin Thuillier
Despite narrowly missing a podium finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics, EJ Obiena earned overwhelming support from his countrymen, including National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario and Filipino celebrities.
Obiena fell short of an Olympic medal at the men’s pole vault finals at Stade de France in Paris, France on early Tuesday, August 6 (Philippine Time) after missing all three attempts at 5.95 meters.
The gold medal was clinched by Armand Duplantis of Sweden, who also set a new world record of 6.25 meters. Meanwhile, Sam Kendricks of the United States and Emmanouil Karalis of Greece bagged the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Obiena, who apologized to the Philippines for his fourth-place finish, was the subject of Almario’s poem, which is dedicated to the athletes who dedicated their lives to representing the country despite their losses.
“Salamat EJ Obiena at sa lahat ng natálo. Ang mahalaga’y ang laban at punyaging ’pinakita ng Pinoy sa buong mundo. Hindi baleng di ka bigyan ng pabuya at parada, ng negosyante’t ng trapo. Dibdib nami’y umaapaw, ang ligayang ika’y bida,” Almario wrote, using his pen name Rio Alma.
“Ni hindi mo isinuko, ang bandila ng iyong bayan. Sa pangakong pagtangkilik; hindi ka rin pinayuko ng hirap at tampalasan. Ang magwagi ng medalya’y, karangalan ng nanálo. Subalit amin ding dangal, ang tulad mong ang bandera’y nakihamok hanggang dulo,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Miss Cosmo Philippines 2024 Ahtisa Manalo and YouTuber DJ Chacha hoped Obiena would “get back up and try again” at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, as seen in the comments of the pole vaulter’s Facebook post.
Screenshot from Facebook/EJ Obiena – Ernest Obiena
Other celebrities such as Rocco Nacino and Isabelle Daza, “Sparks Camp” host Mela Habijan, as well as content creators Ayn Bernos and Nico Bolzico said Obiena’s pole vaulting career is a “beautiful journey of hope, triumph, of hard work and passion, of growth and dedication.”
Screenshots from Instagram/@ernestobienapv
Miss Grand International 2020 first runner-up Samantha Bernardo, who has been vocal about her support for Team Philippines’ Olympics run, said on X (formerly Twitter) that Obiena was an “inspiration” to his countrymen.
“Congratulations @ejobienapv. You made us all proud! Kakaiyak naman to. You can really feel the genuine feelings. I know it’s almost there but I know God will give it to you at the right and when you are ready. You’ve inspired all of us! Mabuhay ka at lahat ng mga atletang Pilipino na nag-inspire sa ating lahat ngayong #Paris2024 (Long live and to all the Filipino athletes who served as an inspiration at the Paris 2024 Olympics),” she wrote.
Congratulations @ejobienapv 🏅 You made us all proud! Kakaiyak naman to.. You can really feel the genuine feelings..
I know it’s almost there but I know God will give it to you at the right and when you are ready. You’ve inspired all of us! 🇵🇭
Mabuhay ka at lahat ng mga… https://t.co/5lOLyT6M96
— SamBer ♛ (@SamBer_Official) August 6, 2024
Gary Valenciano showed his support for Obiena on his X page, saying he will “continue to believe” in the pole vaulter’s ability.
“Thank you for all you’ve done. You jumped from 11th in Tokyo to 4th in Paris. Something in me tells me that you will be back EJ. And you will jump into a place in that podium. I’ve been a believer [in] EJ Obiena for some time now. I will continue to believe. God bless [you],” he said.
@ejobienapv thank you for all you’ve done. You jumped from 11th in Tokyo to 4th in Paris. Something in me tells me that you will be back EJ. And you will jump into a place in that podium. I’ve been a believer of EJ Obiena for some time now. I will continue to believe. God bless u
— GARY VALENCIANO (@GaryValenciano1) August 6, 2024
Obiena’s Olympics campaign was nonetheless a massive feat as he previously bagged the 11th spot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and ended his run at 5.70 meters.
The Filipino pole vaulter also holds the Asian record after clearing 6.00 meters at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, where he clinched a silver medal.