Cookie2122
Member
The 28-year-old Obiena, who owns the Asian record of 6.0 meters, is one of the country's top bets to win a medal in Paris but his road to the Olympics has been a "bumpy" one, he said. Obiena's buildup towards the Olympics was marred by two broken poles and "physical battles" that he needed to overcome. He has not competed in the elite level in most tournaments he joined this year. Obiena started the outdoor season this year with a gold medal at the LA Grand Prix then dropped to seventh at the Ostrava Golden Spike. He returned to the podium with a silver at the Oslo Bislett Games but dropped to seventh again at the Diamond League Stockholm leg in early June. The pride of Tondo recovered in Poland with back-to-back gold medal performances which saw him register his season-best 5.97 meters at the Irena Szewinska Memorial and 5.87 meters at the Memorial Czeslawa Cybulskiego in late June. Obiena then finished fourth at the Meeting de Paris on July 7 which served as his final competition before the Paris Games. Despite the setbacks and admitting that he is not in his top shape, Obiena believes that he can still compete at a high level in Paris. "Am I feeling confident with my preparation? Well, definitely not as much as I would like!! Am I doing the best I can each day? Yes and most definitely yes!!! Not what I wanted but we're still standing and I still have a few more days to prepare and sharpen," said Obiena in a Facebook post on July 20.
Despite the setbacks, it’s amazing to see his determination and resilience. Those gold medals in Poland are a testament to his hard work. 
