Obiena vows to get healthy

Ernest John Obiena is working hard, making sure that he will be 100 percent healthy for the indoor season and other future international events.

Obiena said he wants to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan to fully know the extent of his back injury that slowed him down in the Paris Olympics and two legs of the prestigious Diamond League recently.

Obiena is suffering stress fracture on his back that doomed his chances to land on the medal podium of the Summer Games.

Despite coming in as the second-best pole vaulter in the world, huffed and puffed from start to finish, prompting him to clear 5.90 meters for a fourth-place finish in the Paris Games.

Obiena, however, is in town for a short vacation and to reunite with his fans, who have been supporting him despite his rollercoaster campaign.

“So far, the first thing is to get an MRI scan, talk to my doctor, and see what’s my game plan. From there, we can plan,” said Obiena, who will go back to Italy on 22 September.

“That’s why I don’t know what’s in store for me for the rest of the year but once we get that, we can work on something.”

“I need to heal the L5 vertebra. It takes three weeks to heal.”

The coming year will be busy for Obiena.

Aside from numerous international events around Europe, Obiena is also set to vie in the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China in March and the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok in December.

Obiena said his failure to land an Olympic medal fuels him to work hard.

“What’s there to congratulate? The Milo team congratulated me when I met them, and I said ‘for what?’ and I mean that with all my heart,” Obiena said.

“I know, I do believe that I could have won at least a bronze medal. I know the year has been very tough but life goes on.”