Obiena to trigger gold rush?

Obstacles are those frightful things that you see when you take your eyes off your goal. —  Henry Ford

EJ Obiena, the world’s No. 2 pole vaulter, won the first gold medal for the Philippines in the 19th Asian Games Saturday, resetting the meet record with a 5.90-meter vault at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium. Obiena easily jumped 5.55 meters, then comfortably cleared 5.75 meter in two attempts before distancing himself from the field with an unreachable 5.90-meter leap. This was the first Asian Games athletics gold medal for the country since 1986, and the first medal since 1994.  But more than that, Obiena’s sport psychologist says this triumph may have shattered a psychological barrier that was holding the rest of Team Philippines back.

“Mentally, I think what happened is when the first few who were expected to win gold didn’t, it gave an excuse to the others to fold to the pressure,” explains Dr. Sheryll Casuga, a licensed clinical psychologist in the United States. “It was the opposite of breaking a mental barrier. It’s confirming a mental barrier that Filipinos may try hard but fall short.”

Casuga is a graduate of the University of the Philippines. Aside from having been with Obiena’s support team for many years, she also works with American Olympians and internationally-known professional athletes. Doc Shyi has been regularly on calls with Obiena, getting up at all hours to compensate for the time difference between the US and Europe.

“The longer the Philippines was without a gold medal, the larger the mounting pressure got,” Casuga elaborates. “It took strong mental fortitude to overcome all that and have the self-efficacy to do what it takes, compete hard and get the job done no matter what. Hopefully EJ taking this first gold for the Philippines starts a positive momentum shift for the rest of the athletes.”

Obiena was one of the athletes predicted by Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino to win one of four golds the country is estimated to earn in the quadrennial competition. After this feat, EJ will take a well-deserved rest in the European track and field off-season. His next challenge is getting podium finishes in