POLE vaulter Ernest John Obiena resumes his buildup for the Tokyo Olympic Games today (Wednesday night in Europe) when he sees action in the Gothenburg Grand Prix at the Slottkogvallen Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden.
It will be the first competition in more than three months for Obiena, who ended his European indoor campaign last Feb. 17 with a bronze medal finish in the Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland with a season best jump of 5.80 meters, .01 meters short of his national mark of 5.81 meters.
He will be up against a tough field that includes Brazilian Rio Olympic Games gold medalist and training partner Tiago Braz, who is also trained by noted Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov, and owns the Brazilian national mark of 6.03 meters set in Rio five year ago.
Also expected to provide the Filipino bet stiff opposition is American Cole Walsh, a silver medalist in the 2019 US indoor championships in Des Moines, Iowa, whose personal best is 5.83 meters set in the European circuit last year.
Obiena’s mother, Jen, a former national athlete, said competing in his first outdoor event “would be a good gauge in measuring at what stage he is peaking for the Tokyo Olympics.
He will also have two more competitions on June 4 and June 11.”
