Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena finished fourth in the pole vault event at the Paris 2024 Olympics, narrowly missing out on his first Olympic medal.
Despite a commendable performance that marked an improvement from his 11th place finish at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Obiena expressed deep disappointment over his result.
“I apologize, I promised I’m gonna go back after Tokyo and do better. I did, but I would say it didn’t change in my book,” an emotional Obiena stated after the event. He reflected on his performance, saying, “I came up short, I’m sorry. I apologize for it.”
Obiena’s competition began with a strong start, successfully clearing heights of 5.50m, 5.70m, 5.85m, and 5.90m on his first attempts.
However, the critical moment came at 5.95m, where he clipped the bar on his first attempt and failed to clear it on his second. With only four competitors remaining, he opted to attempt the height again, knowing that a successful jump would secure at least a bronze medal. Unfortunately, he was unable to clear it on his final attempt.
“It’s painful. I missed a medal by one jump and it wasn’t far. Disappointed, definitely,” Obiena lamented. He noted that the experience was just as painful as his previous Olympic outing, emphasizing the emotional toll of coming so close yet falling short.
The bronze medal was ultimately claimed by Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis, who also cleared 5.90m but opted to skip attempts at 5.95m after failing his first try. Team USA’s Sam Kendricks secured silver with a successful clearance at 5.95m on his first attempt.
Reflecting on his performance, Obiena acknowledged the need for greater consistency, stating, “I think it’s just consistency overall. I missed one attempt and that was the point of a medal to a non-medalist. Sports is beautiful but also brutal, I understand that.”
Despite the disappointment, Obiena expressed gratitude for reaching the finals and praised the efforts of his team.
“Even with the fourth place, I’ve done everything I can. I’m proud of the effort of my team, myself, and everybody that made this possible. But it doesn’t make it less painful,” he concluded.