As Mondo Duplantis attempted to break his own world record to cap the pole vault event at the 2024 Olympic Games Paris, EJ Obiena sat silently at the back of the vaulters’ bench.
Despite the wild cheers from the 69,000 attendees at Stade de France, the lanky 6-foot-2 Filipino had a blank stare in his eyes.
He had just missed a historic podium finish by one jump.
“It’s painful. I missed the medal by one jump, and all my attempts at 95 weren’t far off. I’m more disappointed than anything,” he told Boom Gonzales of One Sports.
“It’s the same feeling. I think this one isn’t as painful as the others. A lot has happened this year, and I’m thankful to have made it to the final, but at the same time, I’m disappointed because it was so close. It was literally the same height, but I missed it by one attempt. I really wanted that Olympic medal.”
The world No. 2 pole vaulter easily cleared 5.50, 5.70, 5.85, and 5.90.
But it was his missed attempt at 5.80 that proved costly.
With Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis making the same distance on his first attempt, he took bronze on countback.
“I think it comes down to consistency overall. Like I said, I missed it by one attempt. Sports are beautiful but also brutal, and I understand that. It’s the Olympics, and it’s not going to wait for anybody,” he lamented.
In the eyes of many, it was still a successful campaign for Obiena.
Just three years ago, he crumbled under the pressure in Tokyo, finishing in 11th place.
Though there has been improvement, it still does not lessen the pain for Obiena, who was hoping for at least a bronze medal.
“I’ve done everything I can to be where I’m at. I’m proud of my team’s effort, but it doesn’t make it any less painful,” he expressed.
“It took a little time to reflect on it. He (Coach Vitaly Petrov) said that it’s not the end of the world, but it feels like the end of the world right now.
“I needed to take some time to reflect on the whole thing and everything that I have been through. It’s not something I expected and it’s not something I was aiming for. I’m happy for everybody who got a medal; they deserve it. I’m happy for my friends, but it doesn’t… it doesn’t lessen my pain,” he continued.
As the sacrifices he made over the last three years came crashing down on him, Obiena could not help but tear up.
He felt like he disappointed the entire country early Tuesday morning (Manila time).
“I apologize. I promised that I’d come back after Tokyo and do better. I did, but it didn’t change in my book,” he said, trying to fight back tears.
“I still came up short. I’m sorry and I apologize for it. We’ll see how it goes.”
