Anais Lavillenie, wife of a former world record holder in men’s pole vaulting, has apologized to EJ Obiena for her disparaging online remarks regarding the Filipino pole vaulter’s successes.
Lavillenie previously claimed through a comment on Vaulter’s Magazine’s Facebook page that Obiena’s rise was a result of doping.
“Obeina [sic] doped and it’ll fall like Braz. Same coach, Same plan, same objective!” the comment read.
Lavillenie, wife of former world record-holder and 2012 Olympics gold medalist Renaud Lavillenie of France, made a public apology a couple of weeks later after being threatened with legal action.
“I would like to offer publicly my sincere apologies for writing untruthful words on Vaulter Magazine’s Facebook post about you and your coach Vitaly Petrov,” she said in a letter shared publicly by Obiena.
Lavillenie said she made a “stupid” decision by posting such remark.
“That’s why I deleted the comment after the fact but the damage was done. I am sincerely sorry,” she said.
“I am aware that I have disrespected you and your coach and I deeply regret my act.”
Obiena said he now considers the issue a “closed matter.”
