Training since he was only 6 years old with his father as his coach, Obiena constantly breaks world records in Pole Vaulting. At 18 years old, Obiena made a mark with the highest record of 5.87 meters in the Orlen Indoor Cup at Atlas Arena, Poland. Today, 25 year old Ej Obiena officially advances to the finals of the men’s pole vault competition of the Tokyo Olympics!
Obiena is setting his eyes on beating his personal record and living his lifelong dream of becoming an Olympic champion.
His drive to succeed in the sport all started after a painful ACL injury.
Our falls teach us life’s most important lessons.
Obiena admits that he was always competitive; especially since he started training at the age of six. Winning, self-improvement, and topping his own records was always part of his mindset as a young athlete. However, in the year 2017, Obiena fell and he completely tore his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) during the SouthEast Asian (SEA) games. This painful experience was difficult to process.
During that year, Obiena was the star player and all he had to do was take one jump to win. He trained hard for more than a year and he was more than ready to conquer SEA games. However, a day before his competition, he had a bad fall and tore his ACL. This experience broke him. There was no certainty whether or not he could play again but ultimately, he learned how much he loved the sport.
The star player whose spirit was always ready to conquer and fly high, fell down on his knees; injured, and confused, Obiena was sure of one thing – how much he loved the sport. The threat of the sport being taken away from him gave him clarity of what kind of athlete he wanted to be. Obiena knew then that he didn’t want to simply be the student-athlete who’d stop training after graduation. This fall made him realize he wanted to keep going and he wanted to one day, compete in the Olympics.
It was not easy to get back up. 6 months into rehab – his mind was filled with confusion. He was afraid that God might have other plans for him. His friends and family were against the idea of him going back to train again. They tried to convince him that he could have a life outside pole vaulting. For a moment, he considered leaving the sport and pursuing a normal college life; graduate and find a job after.
“But I looked 60 years later… I knew I would only hate my parents for holding me back. I really couldn’t live without trying. I knew leaving the sport would only make me grow old, angry and filled with regret.”
Three years after this injury, Obiena now advances to the finals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Nobody likes waking up at 6am to train but you have to embrace the grind.
“Every athlete has a different story. Every athlete has a different calling. All athletes have one thing in common – the drive and goal that empowers them. Nobody wants to wake up at 6am to train and we’re wired as humans to hate what makes us uncomfortable. But, if you have a goal in life, DO EVERYTHING TO ACHIEVE IT.”
He encourages young athletes to work hard and keep going, despite hardships. His advice stands true to everything else in life. It’s hard to wake up at 6am everyday to train, it’s hard to sacrifice and save money instead of splurging; life’s grind can be hard. However, what separates those that produce results than those who don’t is the effort and action put in towards making these goals happen.
After a series of mishaps leading to the competition, some distractions including not being able to ship in his pole in Rome where he was currently training at, Obiena, as always, perseveres despite all challenges to beat his personal record and bring glory to the country.
From an ACL injury to making his dreams come true, Obiena proves the power of persistence, passion, and hard work. With a determined spirit and a focused mind, despite any fall and any injury, our goals in life are possible to achieve as long as we make them happen.
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