ALL eyes will be on pole vaulter EJ Obiena when he competes in the Hangzhou Asian Games set to start on Sept. 23.
National coaches Isidro Del Prado and Dario De Rosas are convinced Obiena, ranked No. 2 in the world, will end the country’s three-decade medal drought in the continental showcase.
“Ang panalo natin, si EJ sa pole vault,” Del Prado said in yesterday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the conference hall of the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Obiena is out to complete an unfinished business in the Asiad after failing to win a medal in its last staging in Palembang, Indonesia, where he placed seventh in the event topped by Seito Yamamoto of Japan.
No Filipino trickster has brought home a medal of any color in the Asiad since Elma Muros won the bronze in the women’s long jump during the 1994 edition of the quadrennial meet in Hiroshima, Japan.
The Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association is now pinning its hopes on the shoulders of the 27-year-old Obiena, who is coming off a silver medal showing in the last World Athletics Championship held in Budapest, Hungary.
De Rosas also expressed optimism that long jumper Janry Ubas could attain a podium finish considering he is no longer an Asiad rookie.
“Kung ma-maintain ni Janry ‘yung kanyang national record of 8.08 meters, puwede siyang mag-medalya,” said De Rosas.
Ubas set a new Philippine record when he bagged a silver medal in the decathlon event in the 32nd Cambodia Southeast Asian Games where he also went home with the gold in the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.85 meters.
His present best was the same jump by China’s Zhang Mingkun who clinched the bronze medal in the Asian championships in Bangkok, Thailand last July.
Ubas’ national record is one centimeter short of the gold-medal jump of Indonesia’s Sapwaturrahman in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
During the public sports program backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, San Miguel Corp., Milo and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Del Prado talked about the prospects of the men’s 4×400 relay and Umajesty Williams in the men’s 400-meter run.
“If Umajesty can equal or surpass his personal best of 45.76, baka sakali maka-medal siya,” noted Del Prado, once Asia’s top 400-meter runner who still holds the 39-year-old record in the event of 45.57 seconds.
But the former national team standout acknowledged the Fil-Am runner faces a huge challenge based on the results of the last Asian meet.
Japan’s Kentaro and Fuga Sato finished 1-2 with clockings of 45.00 and 45.13 seconds, respectively, while Saudi Arabia’s Yousef Ahmed Masrahi took the bronze in 45.19 seconds.
Del Prado added the realistic chances of the 4×400-meter relay quartet of Williams, son Michael, Joyme Sequita and Frederick Ramirez, who set a new national mark of 3:06.47 in the last Asian meet, is to reach the finals of the relay event.
“Masyadong malakas ang Sri Lanka, India and Qatar so ang isang goal namin is at least set a new national record and reach the finals,” said the national mentor, referring to the 1-2-3 finish of the countries he mentioned in the Asian meet.
