Though only settling in the fourth place, the 24-year-old still printed his mark not just in the Philippine record but also the Asian record for pole vault.
EVEN with his Philippine record-breaking performance in the elimination round for the Wanda Diamond League, EJ Obiena failed to land on the podium in Zurich.
Though only settling in the fourth place, the 24-year-old still printed his mark not just in the Philippine record but also the Asian record for pole vault.
Clearing the height of 5.83 meters, this feat was enough to crack into the top three in an elite field that featured six of the finest athletes in the event.
“He finished fourth. That’s good. He’s still among the world’s best,” said Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Philip Juico.
The Filipino Olympian skipped the 5.43-meter mark but successfully cleared the 5.58 meters bar in just one attempt.
For his try in the 5.73 meters, Obiena needed to jump three times to land successfully. It was in the 5.93 meters mark where he officially bowed out of contention for a podium finish.
Obiena did not leave empty handed from the Wanda Diamond League as he took home a total price of $4,000 (P197,000). The grand prize for the first place finisher along with the Diamond League trophy was $30,000.
Tokyo Games Gold medalist Armand Duplantis of Sweden continued his dominance in the Diamond League capturing the first place with a 6.06 meters clearance.
Sam Kendricks of the United States finished the meet in second place after overcoming a height of 5.93 meters, while Timur Morgunov of Russia settled for third with an identical height clearance.
The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising 14 of the best invitation-only athletics events.
As he took Tokyo Games’ bittersweet ending as a stepping stone, Obiena has been breaking through with his performances ever since.
In the events after Tokyo, Obiena successfully broke the Philippine record, Asian record and clinched the fifth place in the pole vault world ranking.
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