EJ Obiena hopes more Filipinos will join him in Paris Olympics | ABS-CBN

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EJ Obiena hopes more Filipinos will join him in Paris Olympics

EJ Obiena hopes more Filipinos will join him in Paris Olympics

Rom Anzures,

ABS-CBN News

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Southeast Asian Games gold medalist athletes Nesthy Petecio, Carlos Yulo, and Ej Obiena during a press conference at the Century Park Hotel in Manila on October 15, 2019. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File.
Southeast Asian Games gold medalist athletes Nesthy Petecio, Carlos Yulo, and Ej Obiena during a press conference at the Century Park Hotel in Manila on October 15, 2019. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File.

MANILA – After being the first Filipino athlete to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Tokyo Olympian EJ Obiena is hoping that more Pinoys will follow suit.

“Paris is a good achievement, it wasn’t something that I was worried about per se, but of course, it was something that wasn’t just given,” said Obiena in an interview with Andre Felix on CNN Philippines' Sports Desk.

He qualified for the Olympics after bagging silver at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium in Sweden on Monday.

And Obiena shared that this achievement, while may seem daunting, is not at all improbable.

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“I don't think it's impossible, " said the member of the 6-meter jump club.

“And hopefully, by the end of 2024, we'll have some hardware to bring back home," Obiena added.

In the Tokyo Olympics, Obiena was joined by 18 other Filipino athletes who represented the country. Four of them brought medals back to the Philippines.

But qualifying itself is a huge achievement already, and it is something that an individual will and must be proud of, said Obiena.

“When you qualify, it’s the sweetest thing. You’ll never forget your first, and it’s such an amazing experience. It’s something to take pride in, and if you’re gunning for it, go for it all the way.”

Aside from Obiena, some of the Filipinos who are poised to book a ticket to Paris are Carlos Yulo, who is set to compete in the qualifier that is the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, and Filipina weightlifters Hidilin Diaz and Elreen Ando.

In the previous edition of the Summer Games, Diaz brought home a gold medal in qeightlifting, while Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam brough two silvers in boxing. Another boxing medal, this time in the form of bronze, was bagged by Eumir Marcial.

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