POLE vault star Ernest John Obiena will skip the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships that will happen on May 8 to 12 at the PhilSports oval in Pasig.
The 28-year-old Obiena has been in Chula Vista, California over the last two weeks for a training camp and will compete in the Los Angeles Grand Prix on May 19.
The LA Grand Prix will be having seven competitions that he will join before he heads for the Metz’ training camp of Team Philippines this June to get ready for the Paris Olympics this July.
With Obiena absent, national athletes based here and abroad will make their presence felt in the five-day meet, also known as the National Open, which will have World Athletic points, Olympic qualification slots and ranking points at stake.
Fil-American standout Lauren Hoffman is one of 12 athletes coming from the United States to compete in the tournament.
Hoffman, already a part of the national team, will seek out the gold medals at stake in women’s 100 meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles.
Harvard Fil-Am student Victoria Bossong will join her as she seeks to finalize the details of her bid to officially represent the Philippines in international meets, when she joins the women’s 400-meter and 800-meter action.
Angel Frank will be for podium finishes in the women’s 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter categories.
Pole vaulters Elijah Cole and Alyanna Nicolas will mix it up with a younger set of rivals like Enzo Sison and Audrey Agcaoili.
Yacine Guermali will be around to contest for spots in the men’s 1500 and 500-meter events, against local long distance specialists Richard Salano and Arlan Arbois.
Newbies like Sidney Yap (hammer throw), AJ Rickets (5000 meters, 10,000 meters) and Miles Mingo (200 meters) will also be there.