EJ Obiena had a great start to 2021 and he expects that it’s going to get even better.

The Philippine athletics star confidently said he is in his best shape in his entire career as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics draws near.

“This is the strongest I have ever been, I’m faster than I’ve ever been, so it’s a very good place where I’m at right now,” said Obiena in the Summit Natural Drinking Water virtual press conference.

Obiena kicked off the year on a high note that he managed to reset the national indoor pole vault record 3 times.

He now holds the indoor record of 5.86 meters, which he nailed in the Orlen Indoor Cup 2021 at the Atlas Arena in Poland last February 12.

The 25-year-old pole vaulter says that this is the product of following and trusting seasoned coach Vitaly Petrov during training.

“He’s coached a lot of Olympic medalists, [winners of] multiple gold medals and multiple world records, so he knows this – the ins and outs of it,” shared Obiena.

“So I’m basically a rookie at this and having him by my side gives me the edge, you know… what to expect, what should I do, how do I prepare mentally.”

Before he flies to Tokyo, Japan, Obiena will be starting his outdoor season in June.

He aims to eclipse his outdoor record of 5.81m, which he set back in 2019 to become the first Filipino to earn a ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist continues to make history for Philippine athletics as he won the country’s first medal in the 2020 Monaco Diamond League with a bronze finish last August. – Rappler.com