MANILA — No further legal action will be pursued by Filipino pole vault star and world No. 2, EJ Obiena, as he has graciously accepted the sincere apology from his accuser in the doping scandal.
Last week, Anais Lavillenie, the wife of former Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie, accused EJ Obiena of using performance-enhancing drugs in a Facebook post. However, on Tuesday, October 24, Anais issued a public apology, retracting her previous false allegations.
In a letter dated October 24, Anais Lavillenie publicly acknowledged the harm caused by her inaccurate statements and described her accusations as “stupid amalgams” that should have never been written.
She expressed genuine remorse for her actions and stated, “I would like to publicly offer my sincere apologies for writing untruthful words. I made a stupid amalgam that I should never have done and written. I admit, and that’s why I deleted the comment after the fact, but the damage was done. I am sincerely sorry.”
EJ Obiena responded positively to Anais’s apology, declaring that it brings closure to the matter for him and that he is prepared to move forward. He shared this sentiment in a social media post on Thursday, October 26, which included a signed letter from Anais.
As a former pole vaulter herself, Anais expressed deep regret for her unwarranted accusation posted on the Facebook page of Vaulter Magazine two weeks ago.
(Amigo Ismael/mnm)
