When two champions make a bet, there can only be one goal: gold.
For Asian pole vault king Ernest John “EJ” Obiena and longtime adviser James Michael Lafferty, that goal became a shared challenge—and neither was willing to lose.
The two have been together through thick and thin for nearly a decade. But ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games, their relationship took on a playful competitive edge.
Just two days before Obiena’s title-retention bid in the men’s pole vault, Lafferty was competing in the 2026 Raw Powerlifting World Championships in Ashland, Virginia, in the men’s 60-64 age group.
The deal was simple: If Lafferty won gold in powerlifting, Obiena had to do the same in Nagoya.
“I am so really happy for EJ for retaining the gold in the Asian Games plus resetting a new Asiad record. And I knew, I believed that he could do it of course, so we made a deal. If I won the gold in powerlifting, EJ had to win the gold as well at the Asian Games,” Lafferty, 63, said.
“The loser, if there is one, would pay for a dinner in Dubai in October,” he added.
There was, as it turned out, no loser.
Lafferty delivered first, capturing three gold medals in the men’s 60-64 division in strict arm curl, bench press, and push pull—a combined bench press and deadlift event. More than 500 lifters from around the world competed over four days.
Then Obiena answered in Nagoya.
At the Mizuho Park Athletics Stadium, Obiena cleared 5.91 meters to win his second consecutive Asian Games gold medal and set a new Asiad record, improving on the 5.90-meter mark he established when he won at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago.
“EJ has proven himself the best pole vaulter in Asia for the second time. He is also a three-time Asian Champion, a two-time Olympian, fourth place among the best in Paris Olympics despite a spinal fracture that certainly impacted his performance. I honestly have never been more proud than of EJ and what he endured in Paris. He is the definition of toughness” added Lafferty.
For Lafferty, the result was another milestone in a relationship built on more than coaching and competition.
An American business executive and athletics coach, Lafferty has served as chief executive officer of Fine Hygienic Holding and previously held regional chief executive positions at Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola Company, and British American Tobacco.
Their wager was never really about who would pay for dinner.
It was about two friends and confidantes pushing each other to deliver when it mattered most.
Both won gold. Now, all that remains is to settle the bill—together—when they meet for dinner in Dubai in October.
Stay updated—follow Philippines Today on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe on YouTube for more stories.