Boy Abunda on EJ Obiena, Carlos Yulo and ties that bind sons and moms

Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena has opened up about his mother, Jeanette, and how they healed from that sports controversy that “strained” their relationship.

This is one of the topics that the King of Talk discussed with the world-class Pinoy athlete in his monthly TV special, “My Mother, My Story,” which airs today at 2 p.m. on GMA.

“Napakaganda kausap, he’s a wonderful human being,” shared Boy.

“We talked about his relationship with his mother and he’s so fascinatingly honest,” he further said of how EJ would shed light on how the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) issue in 2021 was resolved, and what it took for him and Jeanette — also a former track and field athlete — to reach a point of “wonderful love” between son and mom.

“It was very complicated because huge organizations were involved, government money was involved, parents were involved but what I heard from him was, in the end, magulang ko pa rin, in the end, nanay ko pa rin ito,” recalled Boy. “It was a huge sports problem… Pero naayos rin.”

Boy mentioned that EJ also talked about the immediate aftermath of him losing his chance at a podium finish in the 2024 Olympics. “He was very hurt. One of the worst places in the Olympics is No. 4… Being that close… ang sakit nuon,” the host remarked, sharing Jeanette’s simple but empowering advice to her son: “Pick up the pieces, anak, learn from them and then move on.”

Boy also probed EJ’s future plans “because there’s this collective feeling of a lot of Filipinos here and abroad na sumubok ka sa 2028 Olympics, kaya mo pa… He’s not definitive about it, maybe he’s just managing his expectations.”

EJ is the fifth personality that Boy featured in “My Mother, My Story,” wherein interviewees get to reflect on the question, “Sino ka nang dahil sa iyong ina?” It was particularly conceptualized by the “Fast Talk” host as a love letter to his late mother, Nanay Lesing.

Meanwhile, Boy was asked if two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo, whose currently fraught relationship with his mom has been showbiz fodder, is going to be featured on the show.

Boy appeared not keen on interviewing Carlos — at this time.

He explained, “Like everyone else, I