BREAKING NEWS: The Philippines’ Ernest John “EJ” Obiena has just started his pole vault competition season with a big win while breaking records early this morning at the Memorial Josip Gašparac in Croatia, a World Athletics Indoor Bronze event which witnessed a showcase of the Filipino athlete’s readiness for his gold medal bid at the Paris Olympics.
EJ Obiena broke and set the Meet Record twice on February 21, 2024, PhST (February 20 Croatia) at the Nastavno Sportska Dvorana Gradski Vrt in front of a cheering European crowd in Osijek.
The Filipino World No. 2 in Men’s Pole Vault did not disappoint as the headliner in Osijek, dominating nine other world-class pole vaulters from the USA, Portugal, China, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic, and Mexico.
Obiena took his first jump at 5.51 meters and successfully opened his limited season on his way to the Paris Olympics in July.
Asia’s Number 1 athlete and member of the elite 6 Metre Club then proceeded to break and reset the Meet Record to 5.73 meters after two tries, edging out the previous height of 5.72m established by Polish champion Piotr Lisek and Greek Olympian Emmanouil Karalis. However, Portugal’s Pedro Buaro challenged the Filipino Olympian and matched the height in three attempts.
The World Championships Silver Medalist from Tondo in Manila, responded by soaring over 5.83m to again reset the record in the same night, prompting more applause from the capacity crowd at the Athletic Hall in Osijek.
Buaro tried to match the height in three tries but was unsuccessful, leaving Obiena as the last man standing and the winner of the Elite Men’s Pole Vault at the World Athletics Bronze event in Croatia.
The Filipino athlete from Tondo, Manila, proceeded to soar over 5.83m to set a new record and win the Elite Men's Pole Vault event in Osijek. pic.twitter.com/1UX41mafOz
— Angie Quadra Balibay (@AngieQBalibay) February 21, 2024
EJ Obiena did not stop at winning and pushed the height to 5.93m in three attempts to break the Asian Indoor Record of 5.92m held by Kazakhstan’s Igor Potapovich for 32 years. The World No. 2 in Men’s Pole Vault previously broke the Kazakhstani’s Asian Outdoor Record at the same height and held for 23 years as he won the Golden Roof Challenge in Innsbruck, Austria last 2021.
As the Filipino champion makes his way towards his bid for gold at the Paris Olympics this summer 2024, 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.
WATCH to Celebrate EJ Obiena’s stellar start to the season and follow his road to the Paris Olympics. Share his journey of breaking records and setting new benchmarks in pole vaulting. Let’s rally behind our champion and spread the word about his achievements. Share this article to show your support for EJ Obiena and Filipino excellence on the global stage.
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