Obiena braces for indoor campaign

Ernest John Obiena will kick off his indoor campaign when he competes in the International Jump Meeting Cottbus in Germany on 29 January.

The 29-year-old Obiena, the fourth-best pole vaulter in the world, announced his return to serious competition against the best of the best after months of rest and rehabilitation.

The Asian Games gold medalist last competed at the Paris Olympics last August where he finished in fourth place after going over 5.90 meters.

“Back at it after what seems like forever! On the 29th, I’ll be kicking off my indoor season in Cottbus, Germany,” Obiena said in a social media post.

“I’m excited to be back in the thick of things and to see what’s in store.”

Since his Paris stint, Obiena opted to recover and skip the remainder of the outdoor season after he revealed that he has been competing with a back injury since April.

The Filipino pole vault star was cleared last October and continued his training in Italy under Ukrainian mentor Vitaly Petrov.

With that, he dropped to No. 4 in the men’s pole vault rankings of World Athletics after spending the past year at No. 2 behind Swedish superstar Armand Duplantis.

Now, Obiena will return to action in preparation for major international events ahead, including the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China from 21 to 23 March.

Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Terry Capistrano said he has been in constant communication with Obiena, who is currently in Padova, Italy.

IVAN SUING

“I’ve been talking to EJ almost on a daily basis the last couple of weeks. We will get to where his team wants to be,” Capistrano said.

Obiena looks to improve his finish in the Indoor Championships after he finished in ninth place last year in Glasgow after going over 5.65m.