EJ Obiena took up pole vault at the age of 8. Born into track & field pedigree, including his father Emerson Obiena who is a multiple time medalist at the Southeast Asian Games, EJ was destined for a career in athletics.

EJ got his start in track and field doing hurdles with his father as his coach until he was 18-years old. He competed in the 100m and 400m hurdles, but when he was unable to qualify for regional meets, he switched to pole vault in his last year of secondary education. This move turned out to be fruitful as he earned a scholarship to compete at the University of Santo Tomas in just one year.

In 2015, EJ made himself known as a major player in international track & field when he won the Silver Medal in pole vault at the Southeast Asian Games. Since then, he has dominated the regional scene on his way to becoming one of the highest ranked pole vaulters in the world. Since his Silver in 2015, EJ won 3 Gold Medals at the Southeast Asian Games and 2 Gold Medals and a Bronze Medal at the Asian Athletics Championships. 

EJ qualified for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to represent the Philippines and although he did not have the finish he desired, EJ would have his best two finishes to date soon after, winning the Bronze Medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and Silver Medal at the World Athletics Championship in 2023. 

EJ currently holds the Asian Record in pole vault, a record which he earned in 2022, and broke again in 2023.