MANILA, Philippines — World’s No. 3 pole vaulter EJ Obiena will be ending his 2024 season after being diagnosed with a fractured spine.
This also means he won’t be joining the Philippines Pole Vault competition scheduled for September 20.
“I am sorry to announce that I must call a premature close to my 2024 season,” Obiena said in a Facebook post Wednesday night.
“To avoid worsening the fracture, I shall prudently cancel my season, including the Philippines Pole Vault competition scheduled for September 20,” he said.
Despite cutting his season short due to the injury, Obiena said that he would come back and thanked his supporters for the love and support.
Obiena said he was about to compete in three more competitions before heading back to the Philippines but during the Silesia Diamond League over the weekend, where he finished fifth, his back pain “flared up.”
He said that due to continuous spasms, he was not able to finish his last few attempts in the competition.
Obiena went to his doctor in Italy and was told that his magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) result appeared to have a “stress fracture” in his spine.
“Unfortunately, a later CAT scan confirmed the diagnosis. I have a fractured L5 vertebra,” the pole vaulter said.
He will be required four weeks off to heal and is eyeing to return “pain-free” by next year.
“I’m hoping to return pain-free and ready for the 2025 indoor season,” Obiena said.
The athlete continued to rally behind the country in several competitions even if he just recently competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics where he ended up in fourth place.
“The best thing to do right now, with ensuring my best future, is to rest and recuperate and come back even stronger,” Obiena said.
