Filipino pole vault sensation Ernest John “EJ” Obiena is gearing up for the 2024 Paris Olympics with a series of high-profile competitions. Obiena’s first stop is the Memorial Josip Gašparac in Croatia, a notable World Athletics Indoor Tour Bronze event. This gathering is among the largest athletic meetings globally and will showcase Obiena’s readiness for his gold medal pursuit after shying away from previous meets to prepare for the Summer Games.
The Filipino World No. 2 in Men’s Pole Vault is the standout participant in Osijek, facing off against nine of the world’s top pole vaulters from countries including the USA, Portugal, China, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic, and Mexico. The event is scheduled for February 20 at the Athletic Hall of Nastavno Sportska Dvorana Gradski Vrt in Osijek, Croatia.
EJ Obiena, Asia’s Number 1 athlete and a member of the elite 6 Metre Club, carries his impressive record to Croatia. His achievements include breaking the Asian Games record twice in 2023 by clearing 5.75 meters and 5.90 meters, surpassing the Memorial Josip Gašparac’s current meet record of 5.72 meters.
Following Croatia, Obiena’s journey continues at the ISTAF Indoor Berlin, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver event, on February 23. He aims to top his silver medal performance from last year, challenging World No. 1 Mondo Duplantis.
Third on Obiena’s list of pre-Olympic competitions will be the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, on March 3. Here, the elite of pole vaulting will battle it out, setting the stage for an intense and thrilling showdown, with the GoodNewsPilipinas.com 2023 Filipino pride in pole vaulting in the spotlight as the main challenger to the world champion.
Here is EJ Obiena’s competition schedule and how to watch today’s Memorial Josip Gašparac in Croatia:
World No. 2 in Men's Pole Vault EJ Obiena @ejobienapv is finally joining the ongoing indoor season on his way to bid for the Philippines' gold at the Paris Olympics. Today, Feb. 20, EJ competes at the Memorial Josip Gašparac in Croatia. Story on @GoodNewsPinas_ @WorldAthletics pic.twitter.com/kpU22SNdcE
— Angie Quadra Balibay (@AngieQBalibay) February 20, 2024
Cheer on EJ Obiena as he vaults towards Olympic gold and makes the Philippines proud. Share this story to support EJ and stay updated on his journey to Paris 2024.
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