FILIPINO netizens swiftly took to French pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie’s social media accounts following controversial remarks made by his wife regarding the world’s number 2 pole vaulter, Ernest John “EJ” Obiena.

Lavillenie recently shared a picture of himself recuperating from a leg injury on Facebook and Instagram. On these platforms, outraged netizens expressed their disdain for Anais, the wife of the 2012 Olympic champion, who made incendiary comments suggesting that Obiena had resorted to doping to secure victories.

Allan G. Tillo vented his frustration on Facebook: ‘Just because you’ve barely earned any medals in major competitions lately, doesn’t mean your wife can tarnish the reputation of an up-and-coming vaulter. Sir, you should rein in your spouse. It’s especially embarrassing considering that you will be hosting the next Olympics.'”

Another user, @acutetonzoilopharyngitis, expressed disappointment on Instagram: “Such a shame. I appreciate good sportsmanship and the camaraderie among athletes, as we see in gymnastics, where athletes support each other regardless of their nationalities. I believed that the same spirit prevailed in the world of pole vaulting. I was mistaken. Some photos demonstrate that peace and respect can exist in this realm, but envy and misinformation can easily destroy those values.”

@salie_thatgirl on Instagram commented, “Your wife claimed Obiena was doping. Why? Because he’s outperforming both of you now? Can your wife provide evidence? No, that’s why she deleted it. What a disgrace!”

@acie48 on Instagram added, “Tell your wife that jealousy and bitterness won’t make her the number 1 vaulter.”

“Your wife needs to substantiate her allegations. Otherwise, she’s just envious or delusional, or possibly both,” stated Randy Dacanay on Facebook.

Anais, Lavillenie’s wife, accused Obiena of doping, likening it to the case of 2016 Olympic gold medalist Thiago Braz, who was recently suspended due to a failed doping test. Braz had defeated Lavillenie during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and was also Obiena’s training partner under coach Vitaly Petrov.

Anais has since limited comments on her Instagram posts. Although her Facebook comment accusing Obiena of doping has been deleted, the world’s second-ranked pole vaulter shared it on his Facebook page on Monday and hinted at exploring legal action.

“I will let this story unfold as my team explores various options, including legal action. I guess this is the price you pay when you win,” he wrote at the time.

During an interview on Sportsdesk from Dubai on Monday, Obiena’s mentor, James Lafferty, revealed that Braz had not been training under Petrov for a year.

“Associating guilt by connection is extremely reckless and irresponsible,” Lafferty said. “[Obiena] has never failed a doping test, and while he’s here in Dubai, we’re even conducting a polygraph test this week, which we will publish. It’s administered by a certified polygrapher, and EJ is voluntarily taking it, which is a rare step. We’re confident that it will support our case.”

He added, “We’ve had private discussions, and he has never even considered doping, let alone come close to it. Our only concern in all of this is that no one tampered with his food or drink. We’ve had numerous discussions about not accepting anything from someone he doesn’t know, and it’s a sad state of affairs that we have to be so cautious. But as we approach the Olympic year, you can never be too careful, and we won’t consume anything unless he knows its source and can ensure it’s safe.”

Obiena, who recently clinched a gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, is now preparing for the upcoming Olympics in Paris, France.

(ai/mnm)