The sweetest moments of EJ Obiena and his athlete girlfriend Caroline Joyeux
As the Philippines cheered on EJ Obiena at the 2024 Paris games, the two-time Olympian had a special someone rooting for him in the stands—his German girlfriend and fellow athlete Caroline Joyeoux.
In case you don't know, EJ and Caroline have been together for four years now. Throughout their romance, they have made it a point to support each other in their goals and aspirations despite being in a long distance relationship.
If you're eager to know more about the sporty couple, here are some of their sweetest moments together:
Solid support system during the Paris Games
At the 2024 Paris Olympics, EJ jumped his way to fourth place in the men's pole vault final.
Throughout his journey, Caroline watched his games and cheered him on as seen in an Instagram Reel she posted compiling some of the highlights of her time in Paris.
Caroline even wore a shirt that had EJ's name on it and colored her nails with the Philippine flag's red, white, yellow, and blue. They also had a romantic moment together as they walked down the famous Seine River.
A shared passion for sports
EJ first revealed their relationship in a 2022 episode of the "Surprise Guest with Pia Arcangel" podcast, where he shared that the two of them met in October 2020 when Caroline had a training camp in Fornia, Italy, where EJ is based.
"[I] had a trip, [I] needed to go [to] Berlin, then I met her there again. And then she ended up flying back here and doing a training camp. And then that's where we kind of, you know, [said] 'Hey,'" he shared.
"It's a funny, awkward, cheesy, kind of way of meeting people."
Together, the two of them are working hard in their respective sports.
Obeina is the world's no. 2 pole vaulter, behind Sweden's Duplantis. He also holds the Asian record, 6.00m, which he cleared at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
Caroline, on the other hand, is an accomplished triple jumper who previously won three straight times in Germany. She also tried her hand at other events such as the 100-meter dash and the long jump, where she placed sixth in the 2022 International Sepaktakraw Federation.
Staying strong amid the distance
While it's not easy to start a romance if you and your partner are countries apart, EJ and Caroline are doing what they can to make it work.
"We both understand that, hey, I need like four or five hours a day that I cannot use my phone. And then she knows that, and I know it and understand it. And then the good side of it, some of the competition that I do, she does as well. So, you know, we meet more often than not, especially in the season. And then you know, she does have more training camps. And she does her training camp here in Italy," EJ said.
"So it is a long distance. But then again, I see her almost every two months, you know, for like a couple of days. So it's not that difficult. I would say, of course, I would prefer that she's here, or I'm there. But, you know, we understand the sacrifice, or at least the way that we kind of need to live," he added.
The pair also did not let their busy schedules get in the way of celebrating their love. For their third anniversary, EJ penned a sweet message to Caroline.
"Happy anniversary, my love. Though you gotta wait an hour more there but here, it's already the day. Love you, cutie," he posted on his Instagram story.
Traveling the Philippines
Eventually, Caroline had a chance to take some time off from training and visit EJ's home country in September 2022.
During this time, the couple explored some of the Philippines' must-visit tourist attractions and did some fun activities such as kayaking, swimming in the ocean, and more.
"Made me feel like there is life worth living," Caroline captioned her Instagram reel showing the highlights of their trip.