After a strong European campaign, EJ Obiena returns to the Asian Games with the goal of simply defending his pole vault throne.
Obiena is set to headline the Philippines' 447-athlete contingent in Nagoya, carrying plenty of momentum into the continental showcase after winning nine gold medals in 2026.
"The No. 1 priority going into Nagoya is to defend the title, and that is something I am definitely looking forward to," Obiena told ESPN.
"I feel more confident than I was maybe, let's say, a year ago. For sure, I'm in a much better shape."
At the previous Asiad in Hangzhou, China, in 2023, Obiena cemented his place among the continent's best by setting the Asian Games record with a 5.90-meter clearance in the final -- securing gold for the Philippines.
In 2024, Obiena suffered a fractured L5 vertebra that forced him to end his season prematurely. Obiena, who once reached the world No. 2 ranking, then spent most of 2025 rehabbing from that injury -- affecting his performance and eventually his ranking points.
Obiena, 30, is now fully healthy and enters Nagoya ranked No. 11 in the world.
He has spent the past year training in Athens, Greece, under coach Marcin Szczepanski, building toward another run at the Asian Games podium.
But defending the title will not be as simple as repeating his performance in Hangzhou.
Obiena expects a tougher field as pole vault continues to grow across Asia, with the emergence of challengers such as China's 23-year-old Li Chenyang and Qatar's 21-year-old Seifeldin Abdelsalam.
Ranked No. 20 in the world, Li set a Chinese national record by clearing 5.86 meters earlier this year. He also finished behind Obiena at the 2026 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tianjin, China, where he cleared 5.60 meters.
The Egyptian-born Abdelsalam has also emerged as a serious threat -- having cleared a career-best 5.90 meters and sitting at world No. 15.
Still, Obiena is not interested in getting caught up in the numbers or the names around him.
His focus remains on what he can control.
"I feel like I'm finally vaulting within the control of what I could do, and I'm finally jumping the way I believe I could," he told ESPN.
"With that said, it's almost reassuring. At least, I know that my body is healthy.
"I do understand that it's a much tougher Asian Games this time around, but I still believe I am capable of winning it. I still believe that I'm the favorite to defend my title. Luckily, and hopefully, it stays that way, that my body and my vaulting stays the course."
Obiena's recent results suggest there is plenty of reason for confidence.
He recorded his season-best clearance of 5.91 meters at the Golden Sand, Promenada Gwiazd in Miedzyzdroje, Poland on Aug. 17. Ten days later, he cleared 5.90 meters in Switzerland.
Those performances marked a significant improvement from earlier in the season, when Obiena was hovering around the 5.60-5.70-meter range.
The Filipino is not entering the Asian Games with a specific height in mind, nor is he chasing the elusive 6.00-meter mark.
If the opportunity comes, though, he will take it.
"Jumping six meters, it's not like I could just plan it ahead of time and just try," he said.
"But of course, if the opportunity presents itself, I've attempted six meters this year a couple of times. I think that's a good sign.
"It's more about going to the competition and trying to win it. Then, if the day presents itself, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't -- then it's a different conversation."
For Obiena, the Asian Games are ultimately just another opportunity to represent the Philippines alongside a growing group of world-class athletes.
"It's a very unique time to be part of this unique group," he said.
"We have multiple -- not just one, not just two -- we have multiple world-class athletes in our roster. I can't wait to see what we could do on that stage of the Asian Games."
EJ Obiena at the Asian Games
Sept. 29: Men's pole vault final