EJ Obiena recovers from Covid to top Taby Stavhoppsgala
Because he had to rest and self-quarantine after testing positive for coronavirus, EJ Obiena came back stronger as he posted his season-best clearance of 5.92m - a centimeter behind his personal best and Asian record- to dominate the Taby Stavhoppsgala in Sweden on Tuesday, June 28.
After completing his quarantine, EJ outperformed 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics gold medalist Thiago Braz of Brazil and eclipsed his previous outdoor best of 5.85 meters he set at the L’Aquila leg of the European City of Sports tournament in Italy last May.
Obiena skipped both 5.32m and 5.42m before cruising past 5.52 in one attempt.
He then skipped 5.62 but took two tries to register 5.72m and 5.82m, lastly, Obiena attempted to clear 6.01 but settled with 5.92
Braz came in second with 5.82m while Simon Guttormsen of Norway finished third with 5.72m, his personal best, while Australia’s Kurtis Marschall, Great Britain’s Harry Coppell, and USA’s Luke Winder all finished with 5.62m.
This is Obiena’s third straight title after the Hanoi SEA Games and European City of Sports in Italy in May, and his fifth title for this year.
"I feel better now. Trying to get back in shape after being quarantined and isolated for seven days," said Obiena in an email with SPIN.ph.
Prior to the competition, Obiena disclosed that he had to miss the Oslo Bislett Games in Norway and the Meeting de Paris in France, sitting out almost half of June after testing positive for covid-19.
Obiena’s next tournament will be the Bauhaus Galan Wanda Diamond League Meeting in Stockholm, Sweden on Thursday.
After the fiasco with PATAFA, Obiena is expected to continue his dominance in more international events as he prepares for the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games, and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Tags: #polevault, #Olympics, #athletics