Why does EJ Obiena wear eye-catching socks during competitions?

Did you see EJ Obiena's socks during the finals of the World Athletics Championship on Monday?

The pair of socks Obiena wore had a Cookie Monster design with the message: "I'm a Monster."

Obiena indeed was a monster on Monday as he broke the Asian record and got a historic bronze in the tournament, adding in one of his posts that "EJ is hungry for more cookies."

Prior to the Worlds, Obiena also caught the attention of viewers with his SpongeBob and Patrick-designed socks during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Asked why he wears these kinds of socks, Obiena said these remind him of why he is doing the sport.

"It’s a reminder [to] don’t take myself too seriously," said Obiena in a press conference on Tuesday.

"What does an athlete do when he gets overwhelmed or something, you look at your feet right? And then you see these funky socks, you just remember that I’m still doing a game, this is still a sport. This is something that I should enjoy. Those are the biggest reasons why I use those socks."

Obiena also said these socks have messages on them and he hopes that people will catch them.

"That's kind of the mantra that I wanted to feel during a meet. Not too deeming, but I'm there."

—JMB, GMA News