EJ Obiena to receive P500,000 reward from Manila LGU

The local government of Manila has offered half a million reward to Filipino athlete EJ Obiena after placing fourth in the Paris Olympics.

On Facebook, the Manila mayor Honey Lacuna announced that Obiena would receive P500,000 for being an "Olympian Manileño" and for proudly raising the Philippines' flag at the sports event.

"Siyempre naman po ay hindi natin makakalimutan ang ating best pole vaulter in Southeast Asia, walang iba kun'di ang sariling atin mula sa Tondo, Ernest John 'EJ' Obiena!" she said.

The mayor added: "Hindi mapagkakaila ang inyong angkinging galing sa iyong larangan. Kung kaya't sa iyong pagbalik sa lungsod ay aming taos pusong ihahandog ang 500,000 pesos reward para sa iyong pagsisikap upang dalhin ang bandila ng Pilipinas sa buong mundo."

Manila LGU also extended its congratulations to the Pinoy athlete.

Obiena, the world's no. 2 in men's pole vault, missed all three tries at 5.95 meters, placing fourth in the competition. This is an improvement from his performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he placed 11th.

Sweden's Mondo Duplantis, the world's no. 1, won gold and cleared 6.25m, breaking his own record. America's Sam Kendricks, the world's no. 3, finished with silver, while Greece's Emmanouil Karalis, the world's no. 8, got bronze.

In an interview after the competition on Tuesday, Aug. 6, the Pinoy pole vaulter told One Sports that he was "thankful" to have reached the finals but "disappointed" in his performance.

Obiena also described sports as "beautiful but also brutal," while noting that he lacks consistency and feels he needs a little bit more time.

In a Facebook post, Obeina thanked his supporters and vowed to "get back up.'

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo is also receiving P2 million from the Manila local government and will be welcomed with a hero's parade in the city.