EJ Obiena decides to undergo surgery on his left knee

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Despite his ongoing rift with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), superstar pole vaulter EJ Obiena is still laser-focused this 2022 when it comes to his preparations.

Obiena is bound for an operation on his left knee that has bothered him in order to compete in his stacked 2022 series of pole vaulting events.

Businessman and sports patron Jim Lafferty confirmed to ABS-CBN’s Dyan Castillejo regarding Obiena’s surgery, sharing that a meniscus issue kept bothering him on his left knee.

Lafferty also added that Obiena will be conscious during the operation so that the doctors assigned to him can address what more is needed to be done.

From this month up to February, Obiena is scheduled to join two major pole vaulting tournaments: The Init Indoor Meeting in Karlsruhe, Germany on January 28 and the Asian Indoor Athletics Championship from February 11 to 13 in Kazakhstan.

Up to this date, the timetable of Obiena’s recovery is still unsure depending on the issues found on his left knee.

However, his issue with PATAFA is still unsettled where the sports organization recommended his expulsion from the national team pool.

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) on the other hand expressed their willingness to help Obiena amid the back-and-forth and even confirmed that they will find funding for him if he ever gets dropped by PATAFA.