The pair of socks EJ Obiena wore during his final competition at the men's pole vault in Tokyo Olympics stole the show.
Its SpongeBob design was a hit to netizens.
The 25-year-old Obiena on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, revealed that he has been actually wearing funky socks since last year.
His reason? It's to remind him not to take the competition very seriously.
"'Yung socks kasi, I used to not wear funky socks since 2019. I only started wearing it in 2020," said Obiena in a press conference organized by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa).
"I always felt like I take myself a little bit too serious and then I was like, 'This is competition. This is something that is going to feel like it's something very serious.'" said Obiena.
EJ Obiena realizes competing should be fun
At the end of the day though, Obiena realized that competing should be fun, and that begins by wearing something that will draw positive vibes.
"At the end of the day, it's a sport, it's a game that you should enjoy, you should not take it too seriously. It's a reminder to not think about it too much and have fun."
Obiena admitted he was actually planning to wear socks with an anime theme, but was unable to buy one due to restrictions being implemented at the Games.
"I actually wanted to wear some anime socks like My Hero Academia or Naruto but we weren't allowed to go out and we weren't allowed to order. I wouldn't be able to find or order online. SpongeBob would do. I love those too," said Obiena.