MANILA — EJ Obiena, the world No. 2 pole vaulter says he is extremely honored to be named Athlete of the Year for 2023 by the Philippine Sportswriters Association.

Obiena who is in Italy for preseason is thankful that he achieved all his goals in 2023 , winning at the SEA Games, Asian Games, getting a silver at the World Championships, jumping 6 meters and qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

All his focus and energy is now on achieving his next goal for 2024: wining the gold in Paris.

• EJ Obiena earns Athlete of the Year honors from PSA

After a grueling and highly successful 2023, Obiena has been back in Europe and training the last 4 months to continue to work on his jumps.

EJ shares the tenacity of his head coach Vitaly Petrov, who is constantly paying attention to every detail to raise the bar for EJ for the coming Olympics.

Obiena started off-season training in Spain. He then transferred his training camp from Formia to Padua, both in Italy, to get ready for the indoor season.

• EJ Obiena to take a break after triumphant 2023 season

He trained over Christmas and the New Year and is ready to do everything that he needs to do to be at his best come Paris.

His first competition will be in Europe in February.

Aside from Vitaly Petrov, Obiena has a team that looks after his body to help him stay injury-free and at his peak. He also has a psychologist to keep is mental game up.

His training incorporates gymnastics sessions and he sometimes seeks some tips from Carlos Yulo.

• More than accolades, EJ Obiena wants to leave lasting legacy as a pole vaulter

His learnings from 2023 have made him more mature, improved and experienced.

World champion Armand Duplantis, who holds the world record at 6.23 meters, is still the man to beat in Paris but EJ is only concerned about his own game to go as high as possible.

Obiena who loves tennis and plays ‘whenever he can’, also wished Alex Eala all the best as she starts the qualifying of the Australian open Jan 9.