OBIENA Ernest John

World Athletics Championships

Year	Location	Pole Vault
2019	Doha, QAT	Qual. (5.60)

Asian Games

Year	Location	Pole Vault
2018	Indonesia	7th (5.30)

Asian Championships

Year	Location	Pole Vault
2019	Doha, QAT	1st (5.71)
2017	Bhubaneswar, IND	3rd (5.50)

Diamond League overview - Three best ranks per season and event since 2017

Year	Pole Vault
2021	1 x 4th
2020	2 x 3rd
2019	1 x 4th, 1 x 9th

Diamond League - Ten best performances since 2020

Rank	Year	Event	Location	Result
3	2020	Pole Vault	Rome, ITA	5.80
3	2020	Pole Vault	Monaco, MON	5.70
4	2021	Pole Vault	Stockholm, SWE	5.82
4	2019	Pole Vault	Doha, QAT	5.46
9	2019	Pole Vault	Zurich, SUI	5.58

World Athletics Continental Tour - Ten best performances since 2020

Rank	Year	Event	Competition	Location	Result
1	2020	Pole Vault	World Athletics Continental Tour	Ostrava, CZE	5.74
2	2021	Pole Vault	World Athletics Continental Tour	Bydgoszcz, POL	5.87
2	2021	Pole Vault	World Athletics Continental Tour	Hengelo, NED	5.80

World Challenge - Ten best performances since 2020

Rank	Year	Event	Competition	Location	Result
8	2019	Pole Vault	World Challenge	Ostrava, CZE	5.41
10	2019	Pole Vault	World Challenge	Berlin, GER	5.50
10	2018	Pole Vault	World Challenge	Ostrava, CZE	5.40

Legend
SF - Semifinal, QF - Quarterfinal, 1R - 1st Round, Qual. - Qualification, QR - Qualification Round, DNF - Did Not Finish, DNS - Did Not Start, DQ - Disqualified, NM - No Mark, [Relay athlete without time] - Did not run in final

EJ (ABS CBN Sports YouTube channel, 28 Oct 2019)

Athlete, Student

Electronic Engineering - University of Santo Tomas, Manila, PHI

English, Filipino

Rohsaan Griffin [national], USA; Vitaly Petrov [personal], UKR; Emerson Obiena [father], PHI

His father Emerson represented the Philippines in pole vault, and won bronze medals at the South East Asian Games in 2005 and 2007. His father has also served as his coach and as national Filipino pole vault coach. His younger sister Emily Jean has also competed for the Philippines in pole vault, including at the 2017 South East Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His mother Jeanette competed in hurdles at university level. (sports.inquirer.net, 12 Feb 2017, 14 Aug 2017, 23 Aug 2017; pinoyathletics.info, 07 Jul 2017, 06 Aug 2017; SportsDeskOnline, 18 Aug 2020)

In mid-2017 he tore the anterior cruciate ligament [ACL] in his left knee. The injury required surgery and sidelined him for seven months. (philstar.com, 29 Mar 2018; sports.inquirer.net, 23 Aug 2017; thestandard.com.ph, 27 Mar 2018)

He took up the pole vault at age six. (ABS CBN Sports YouTube channel, 28 Oct 2019)

He was encouraged to take up the sport by his parents, who were both members of the Philippine Pole Vault Club in Manila, Philippines. "I was jumping with my dad and saw how fun it was. I got interested in the fun element of watching people free-falling with the pole after flinging themselves 16 feet into the air." (pinoyfitness.com, 31 May 2015; ABS CBN Sports YouTube channel, 28 Oct 2019)

To win a gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (sports.inquirer.net, 05 Feb 2020)

He splits his training between the Philippines and Formia, Italy, where he works with coach Vitaly Petrov. (ABS CBN Sports YouTube channel, 28 Oct 2019; manilastandard.net, 18 Jun 2020)

In 2018 and 2019 he was named Male Athlete of the Year by Filipino athletics website Pinoyathletics. (pinoyathletics.info, 26 May 2020)