EJ Obiena is making the biggest change of his professional career—and he is doing it with his eyes wide open.
The Filipino pole vault ace is leaving Formia, Italy, the training base where he spent more than a decade developing into Asia’s greatest pole vaulter, and relocating to Athens, Greece. There, he will train alongside a group of international pole vaulters in a daily competitive environment that he believes is the missing ingredient in his pursuit of returning to his best.
Obiena did not dress up his reasoning. He explained it through the lens of a sport that has long understood what elite training environments can produce.
“Talk to any top Kenyan distance runner, and they will tell you Olympic medals are won in training,” he said. “Specifically, in training with other top Kenyan runners daily and pushing each other to greater heights. This is true for every sport and event, including pole vault.”
Obiena Closes Colorful Chapter to Start New One
The move marks the end of his partnership with renowned Ukrainian coach Vitaly Petrov—the man who took Obiena to Formia as a 17-year-old in 2014 and helped transform him from a promising Filipino jumper into a world-class athlete. The results of that partnership are extraordinary.
Under Petrov, Obiena became the first Asian pole vaulter to clear the six-meter mark—achieving the feat on June 10, 2023, at the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway—won a bronze medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon and a silver at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, reached world No. 2 in the same year, and claimed the Asian Games gold in Hangzhou. That Budapest silver still stands as the Asian record.
On the regional stage, he has been in a category of his own—four consecutive SEA Games gold medals, three straight Asian Athletics Championships titles in 2019, 2023, and 2025, and an Asian Games crown.
But Obiena was honest about what the last few years had been like. The guidance from Petrov remained exceptional. The competitive element of daily training—the push that comes from being surrounded by athletes operating at the same level—was not there. And he felt it.
“Whilst the guidance was outstanding, the competitive element of the training, which is very important, was missing. And this has led to difficult times,” he said. “I believe I am still capable of competing at the highest level. But without the constant push of top-notch training partners, it would be very difficult.”
Obiena Is Forever Grateful
He left Formia with nothing but gratitude for the man who built him.
“I am forever grateful for what Coach Vitaly and I have accomplished. He has opened doors for me and has made me reach heights I could never even imagine,” Obiena said. “I have the utmost respect and gratitude to one of the biggest pillars of my career. Thank you, Coach Vitaly.”
Athens is where the next chapter begins. A group of international vaulters—friends and fierce competitors in equal measure—will be pushing Obiena in practice every day. That is exactly what he wants.
“I am excited to train with these guys, many who are friends and fierce competitors,” he said. “And, in doing so, I am putting myself in an environment that sharpens my skills. Every day I will be pushed to bring my best.”
Obiena next competes in Dusseldorf, Germany on June 14. The move to Athens comes shortly after. The road to Nagoya runs through Greece—and for the first time in a while, Obiena is exactly where he wants to be.
