EJ Obiena Shares His Discomfort with Being Called Handsome
EJ OBIENA – In a recent episode of “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda,” the Filipino pole vaulter shared his discomfort with being complimented on his appearance.
EJ Obiena is a prominent Filipino pole vaulter. Standing at 1.88 meters (6 ft 2 in), he is currently ranked No. 3 in the world for pole vaulting as of 2024. Obiena holds the Asian record for pole vault with a clearance of 6.00 meters, achieved at the 2023 World Athletics Championships where he won a silver medal.
He also holds the Philippine national record with a height of 5.93 meters. Obiena has won gold medals in the Asian Games (2022), Asian Athletics Championships (2019, 2023), and Southeast Asian Games (2019, 2021, 2023). Additionally, he secured a gold medal at the 2019 Summer Universiade. Obiena has competed in the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics, finishing fourth in the latter.
He trained under coach Vitaly Petrov starting in 2014 and has faced significant disputes with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) over coaching payments. Despite these challenges, Obiena continues to be a leading figure in his sport.
In a recent episode of “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda”, EJ admitted that he doesn’t know how to react when people call him handsome. “Medyo marami. ‘Di ako nasanay, Tito Boy. I don’t know how to feel. I don’t even know how to feel. It’s a bit odd,” EJ said. “May kaklase ako like before. Sabi niya: ‘yong parents mo hindi naman pangit, bakit ang pangit mo?’” he added.
The Filipino pole vaulter further explained: “Kaya it’s weird for me. Like, to be honest po.” But Boy Abunda responded: “No, but iba ang appeal, you know. Kapag pinapanood ka namin, aside from representing the country, ang dami-daming naku-cute-an sa ‘yo.”