By OCT 1, 2023
MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos end the month on a high note as EJ Obiena set another record at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, giving the country its first athletic title at the multi-sport regional event since 1986.
Obiena struck the Philippines’ first gold at the Asian Games on Saturday, September 30, after setting a new Asian Games mark of 5.90 meters, beating the previous record of 5.70m made by Japan’s Seito Yamamoto back in 2018.
The record-breaking win also gave the country its first podium finish in athletics since 1994 – an almost three-decade medal drought.
After this historic feat, thousands of individuals took their Pinoy pride to social media and commended Obiena for reaching greater heights at the competition.
Some netizens also expressed their belief that there is no way but up for this pole vaulter, who has set multiple records at a young age.
Obiena, now 27 years old, has been pole vaulting since the age of six. He is now the world’s number two pole vaulter, according to the World Athletics rankings posted in July 2023.
One social media user even said that Obiena’s performance was so good, he should have won the silver and bronze medals as well.
What if Obiena was removed from the national team?
Some individuals took a jab at the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), which recommended the immediate expulsion of Obiena in January 2022 for alleged misappropriation of funds.
Obiena and PATAFA eventually reconciled in March 2022 after a mediation by the Philippine Sports Commission. This allowed the pole vaulter to participate in the 2022 Southeast Asian Games and the 2022 World Outdoor Athletics.
A performance that deserves to be seen
Several netizens were disappointed that Obiena’s winning performance was not shown live on free TV, saying such an achievement should have been worthy of a free telecast.
The pole vault competition was only aired live at cable channel One Sports+ and paid live streaming app Pilipinas Live.
Government urged to invest in athletes
As talks on budget are ongoing in Congress, social media users expressed hope that the government would allot more funding for sports after Obiena’s newest record-breaking feat so that more athletes could make waves in the international sports scene.
Back in August, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. admitted that the financial support for athletes is “not commensurate” with their hard work and the honor that they bring to the country.
“I am always a little embarrassed when I see that we are not supporting our athletes and our coaches and our trainers and all the support groups, even the families,” he said.
SOURCE: https://www.rappler.com/sports/filipino-online-reactions-ej-obiena-gold-asian-games-september-2023/