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PATAFA excludes EJ Obiena from Vietnam SEA Games roster
Olympian EJ Obiena won't be around to defend his title come the Vietnam Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi this May.
This after the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) opted not to include the country's top pole vaulter in its SEAG roster submitted to the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) on Monday, March 7.
POC President Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino wasn't happy about the development as Obiena, who ranks fifth in the world, has a great chance of delivering a medal to the country come the biennial meet.
“I can only shake my head, this is horrible,” said Tolentino on Obiena’s name missing from the entry by numbers form which the PATAFA and 38 other national sports associations (NSAs) taking part in Vietnam Games submitted to the POC.
“Barring serious injury, EJ will win the gold medal even blindfolded in Hanoi. He’s not only the best in the SEA Games, but in the whole of Asia—not to forget that he’s No. 5 in the world.”
POC tasked all the NSAs to submit their entries by number on Monday as Vietnam organizers for submission of team compositions on Saturday, March 12.
Obiena being out of the list meant he will also miss the World Indoor Championships scheduled from March 18 to 20 in Belgrade as the World Athletics’s deadline of registration for qualified athletes was last Monday.
The 26-year-old Olympian is the reigning gold medalist in SEA Games when he ruled the 2019 edition after clearing 5.45 meters.
Prior to that, Obiena was coming off a twin gold medal finish in Poland where he topped the Orlen Cup on February 13 and the Orlen Copernicus Cup on February 23.
In an Instagram post, Obiena recognized the possibility that his latest competition in France, where he cleared 5.91 meters in the Perche Elite Tour last weekend to shatter his personal record, would be his last indoor event this year.
"If @pet_rouen (Perche Elite Tour) is my last indoor competition of the year, I’m grateful. I never thought this season would even be possible more so a new personal best and a national record," he said early Tuesday.
"Those sleepless nights, inconsistent training and recent knee surgery (January 2022) definitely didn’t help me feel complete. I am PROUD of what my team and I have achieved against all odds."
—JMB, GMA News
