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Filipino Olympian opens Ilocos Norte’s first pole vaulting facility

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Champion pole vaulter EJ Obiena guides a young athlete during the opening of the pole-vaulting facility at the FEM Memorial Stadium.

Laoag City—Olympic pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” U. Obiena and Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc opened Ilocos Norte’s first pole vaulting facility at the Ferdinand E. Marcos (FEM) Memorial Stadium, on No. 22, 2024, a step forward in transforming the Philippines into a global force in pole vaulting.

Obiena, a world-class Filipino pole vaulter is currently ranked third in the 2024 World Athletics Rankings for the men’s pole vault category. He finished fourth place in the same sport at the 2024 Olympic games in Paris, France, barely missing a medal. He is also the first Asian athlete to conquer the six-meter mark at the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway in 2023.

Aside from this, Obiena is also a three-time Southeast Asian Games champion. He also bagged the gold medal in the 2023 Asian Games, becoming the first Filipino gold medalist in pole vault. He is also a two-time Asian Championships winner, winning the gold in 2019 and 2023. He finished second in the 2023 World Championships behind world number one Armand Duplantis.

In June 2023, Obiena cleared six meters for the first time at the Sparebanken Vest Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway resetting the Asian record, which he also set last year. By clearing the six-meter mark, Obiena became the 24th person all time in the prestigious list.

This new facility allows the provincial government of Ilocos Norte (PGIN) to establish grassroots development programs for the promotion of pole vaulting to young athletes in Ilocos Norte. It also emphasizes PGIN’s commitment to promoting sports excellence and providing a competitive stage for athletes in the province to showcase and develop their talents.

As an advocate in promoting pole vault in the Philippines, the champion pole vaulter hopes to become an inspiration to the next generation of athletes in the country. He believes that establishing such facilities across the Philippines will lead to a larger pool of talented athletes that can represent the country on the international stage.

During the ceremony, EJ shared his dream of making the Philippines globally competitive and emphasized the importance of self-sustainability, stating: “The main reason for this is for development and really to make sure we gain global success in the sport. This is basically my way of doing it, kickstarting it, and hopefully I teach you guys how to fish medals, not just in Palarong Pambansa and Southeast Asian Games but globally. Hopefully, we’ll get athletes from Ilocos to represent the country with pride and honor. This is only the beginning. Mark my words, I am devoted in this. I really want to see the sport grow.”


World number 3 EJ Obiena with Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Manotoc at the FEM Memorial Stadium

Meanwhile, Manotoc expressed his gratitude and utmost support to Obiena’s initiatives in sports development.

“Ang goal, ang wish, and ang dream po ni EJ that I share with him is to hopefully see a future pole-vaulting champion from Ilocos Norte. May we all commit to that goal, and of course we fully support EJ in this initiative. Let it be known, especially for certain days and times, we will allow kids of Ilocos Norte to access the facilities of our stadium for free, to make sure that they have every opportunity possible.”

Manotoc continues to strengthen the sports programs of PGIN to provide young athletes all the support they need to polish their talents in their respective fields, while placing Ilocos Norte as a premier sports hub of Northern Luzon by hosting large-scale national and international such as the Palarong Pambansa 2025. (PGIN-CMO)

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