Obiena breaches 6 meters, looks for an Olympic spot

EJ Obiena will focus on earning a spot in the automatic qualifying round for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris rather than trying to beat his previous performance.

From July 12 to July 16, when the Olympic qualification season begins, the Asian Athletics Championships will be held in Pattaya, Thailand, where Obiena will represent the Philippines as part of a national delegation of 23 athletes.

According to Terry Capistrano, president of Patafa, "our track and field athletes will not only compete for medals in the tournament, it is also an opportunity for them to qualify for the Olympics."

For competitors to be admitted to the Summer Games in the French capital the following year, World Athletics has established specified dimensions and clockings and has provided a wide range of competitions across the world to accommodate them.

These Olympic aspirants have a year, beginning on July 1, to meet the requirement.

Six-time Southeast Asian (SEA) Games 400-meter hurdles champion Eric Cray, SEA Games gold winner Janry Ubas in long jump, throwers Willie Morrison in shot put and Gennah Malapit in javelin, triple jumper Ronne Malipay, and others will compete with Obiena at the continental championships.

A group of sprinters, hurdlers, and relay specialists is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee. To qualify for the Olympics, the 6-foot-3 Obiena, who holds both the Asian and American records at six meters, must clear 5.82 meters.