EJ Obiena and His Team Mulls Legal Actions After Doping Accusations
The Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena and his team are mulling legal actions after allegedly being accused of doping.
The world’s second-ranked pole vaulter, EJ Obiena, and his team are exploring their options after he faced accusations of doping in the comments section of a social media post. The Facebook page “Vaulter Magazine – Vaulter Club Inc.” recently shared an article from the Manila Times where Obiena expressed his hope to defeat world record holder Mondo Duplantis of Sweden in the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Among the comments on the post was one from the profile of Anais Lavillenie, the wife of former world record-holder and 2012 Olympics gold medalist Renaud Lavillenie of France. The comment accused Obiena of alleged doping and suggested that he would suffer a fate similar to Thiago Braz, a Brazilian pole vaulter.
The comment read, “Obiena doped, and he’ll fall like Braz. Same coach, same plan, same objective.” Braz, a pole vaulter and Obiena’s training partner, had been suspended in July 2023 after testing positive for ostarine, a substance that can enhance physical stamina and fitness. He could face a four-year ban.
Obiena posted a screenshot of the comments on his verified public Facebook account and expressed his disappointment, anger, and feeling of being wronged by the statements. He mentioned that he wants to remain classy and dignified on the subject and stated, “I will let the story evolve while my team explores the many angles, including legal. I guess this is part of the price you pay when you win.”
Obiena has achieved the second rank in the world pole vault rankings, with only Duplantis ahead of him. He joined the six-meter club in pole vault earlier this year by clearing the mark in an event in Norway.
He has also won gold in the Southeast Asian Games, the Asian Championships, and the Asian Games, while finishing as the runner-up to Duplantis in the world championships and the Diamond League finals.
Meanwhile, Obiena auctions Asian Games and SEA Games gear in fundraising to build pole vault training pits. The pole vaulter’s objective is to contribute to both the nation and the sport that has made him an international figure.
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