Screengrab from EJ Obiena

EJ Obiena is no stranger to tough conditions when competing around the world, but his latest victory in Taiwan came with a unique challenge—thick fog in the middle of his pole vault event!

In a social media post, Obiena shared his surreal experience, saying he had encountered fog warnings at airports before but never in the middle of a competition. With visibility down to just 10 meters, he described the moment as a true “leap of faith.”

“Well, I decided to go for it and place my leap of faith in God’s hand,” Obiena wrote. And it paid off—he emerged victorious despite the extreme conditions.

Reflecting on the experience, he emphasized the importance of perseverance: “We can’t always have sunny skies and perfect weather conditions. We have to persevere through all kinds of adversity.”

His triumph in Taiwan proves that even when the path (or the landing mat) isn’t entirely clear, trusting the process—and a little bit of faith—can still lead to victory.