Asia’s top pole vaulter EJ Obiena reacted to internet users suddenly likening his image to that of a local wafer stick mascot.
Writer and poet March Abuyuan-Llanes on Wednesday randomly commented the athlete’s name upon seeing a container of Stik-O wafer sticks.
The mascot featured a winking boy carrying a wafer stick over his shoulder. Some have been comparing it to a picture of EJ holding a pole with squinting eyes.
It was later turned into a post on the X (formerly Twitter) platform and then reposted by a Facebook page, gaining immediate viral status.
EJ Obiena pic.twitter.com/ax8vtMwCMV
— March Abuyuan-Llanes 🇵🇸 (@magmartsa) August 14, 2024
The posts reached EJ himself, who reshared a post that juxtaposed his picture to that of the Stik-O mascot.
ALSO READ: ‘Cannot unsee’: Pinoys liken EJ Obiena to local wafer stick’s mascot
“Flew back then suddenly, I’m a meme,” he wrote on a Facebook Story on August 16 with rolling-on-the-floor laughing emojis.
Screengrab taken from EJ Obiena’s Facebook Story posted on his page on Aug. 16, 2024 (EJObiena/Facebook)
Some Filipinos also urged the brand to “sponsor” the pole vaulter following the posts.
“Stik-O, baka naman… padalhan [niyo] naman [siya] ng product [niyo],” an online user commented.
“Dude, use this brand as your sponsor,” another user wrote.
“#EccoFoodCorporation, beke nemen, pasok na pasok si idol
@ejobienapv, endoreser ng STIK-O, o,” a different Pinoy said, mentioning the food manufacturer.
Stik-O is a snack brand offering flavored wafer sticks in variants of chocolate, strawberry, ube, and pandan.
Meanwhile, EJ said he is back in training in Italy. He will compete in the Lausanne Diamond League next week.