MANILA, Philippines – EJ Obiena knows that chasing an elusive Olympic medal means another four years of laborious training in a foreign land without his loved ones by his side.
So Obiena wants to take his time as he faces the big question of whether he will compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Games after he narrowly fell short of a medal in the Paris Olympics following a heartbreaking fourth-place finish.
For the last two Olympic cycles, Obiena has been based in Italy, where he trains under the tutelage of Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov.
“If I were to do that, I need to be able to look my parents in the eye that I’m probably not going to see them again for the next four years, at least. Maybe a month a year at best,” Obiena said in a virtual press conference.
“I understand that it’s going to be another four painstaking years that I need to focus everything and live this life. It takes a little bit of thinking to understand that. I need to give myself time. It’s a decision that’s pretty big.”
Obiena said if he gives the Olympics another shot, he needs to be fully committed, now that he is no longer just there to participate but contend after improving by leaps and bounds since placing 11th in the Tokyo Games.
Despite dealing with a back issue that hampered his Olympic buildup, the 28-year-old came close to a podium finish in Paris, but lost the bronze to Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis via countback.
Sweden’s Armand Duplantis defended his gold by raising his own world record to 6.25 meters, while the USA’s Sam Kendricks bagged bronze.
Those three medalists were beaten by Obiena in the past.
“In Tokyo, it’s a question, I was like, ‘Can I actually go toe-to-toe with these guys?’ That’s not at all a question anymore. I’ve been there in the past three years. I’ve been there,” said Obiena,
“With all the things and all the circumstances that I’ve dealt with this year, I’m there. It’s not a question of if I can compete. I know I can. But to be able to say that I know I can, what comes with that, that’s tough. That’s a long process.”
“If I’m willing to do all of those sacrifices again and be able to live with my life, that’s a long decision, long thinking that I need to do.”
Taking great pride in donning the national colors, Obiena said he if chooses to make another Olympic run, it is with the intention to “freaking win the thing.”
“It’s not that I’m saying that LA is out of the picture. It’s not an easy decision to make,” he said.
“I think I need that to process it and hopefully be able to fully commit and say with all my gut and all my being, I’m going to be there and represent the Philippines to the best of my ability.”
“If not, then not at all. That’s not how I do things.”
For now, Obiena and his team are keen on fixing his back problem that needed a complicated procedure for him to be able to see action in Paris.
Obiena, according to his advisor James Lafferty, left his training camp in Normandy, France with less than two weeks before the Olympics to go to Rome, Italy for the operation then went back to resume his preparation.
“The fact that he competed, in my opinion, is amazing. The fact that he came in fourth is beyond amazing,” said Lafferty.
As he continues to reflect on his Olympic campaign, Obiena plans to complete the outdoor season as he aims to keep his world No. 2 ranking.
He said he will take part in a couple of Diamond League legs.
“My goal right now is to hopefully hold my world ranking,” said Obiena. “There’s a few competitions still lined up for me this season. We’ll deliberate, regroup, and try to understand the possibilities of all of this.” – Rappler.com