The country celebrated yet another successful stint by athletics star EJ Obiena this weekend after the pole vaulter secured his second consecutive World Athletics Championships medal – a silver this time – along with setting a new Asian record at 6.00 meters.
Days after achieving this historic feat, Obiena himself revealed that attaining it in the newly built National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary was far from easy.
“Life is like a rose… it is beautiful, but it also comes with thorns,” the 27-year-old athlete wrote on his social media accounts.
“Just two weeks ago, the thorns got to me. I was sick with COVID, losing almost two weeks of intensive training, and starting to question why I faced these challenges.”
Obiena also shared a video of himself while feeling unwell, accompanied by a test result confirming he was positive for the virus at that time.
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“I haven’t been able to train very well… Right now, it’s uncertain if I’ll be physically ready. I’m just praying to God that there’s a reason for this happening,” said the University of Santo Tomas graduate in the video.
However, Obiena believed that these obstacles contributed to his resilience when it came to game time, similar to how he overcame issues leading to the Worlds last year.
He stated, “Perhaps I would never have won the silver medal without the thorns of COVID and sickness. Thorns toughen you up and make you appreciate the beauty of the rose.”
Although Obiena’s journey is far from over, he is likely to encounter more challenges along the way. Yet, warriors persevere through such adversities to eventually reap the rewards of their efforts, much like finding a bed of roses after navigating through the thorns.
