MANILA, Philippines, January 31 ------ EJ Obiena kicked off the year with promise as he snagged a silver medal in his first competition in five months. The Filipino pole vault star placed second in the International Springer-Meeting Cottbus in Germany.
He cleared 5.65 meters to finish behind Paris Olympics silver medalist Sam Kendricks of the United States, with Obiena getting his career back on track after dealing with a spine injury. That injury forced Obiena to cut his 2024 season short in August as he skipped his remaining events for the year, including the Philippine International Pole Vault Challenge he and his camp were supposed to stage in September. It was also the same injury that bothered Obiena in the lead-up to the Olympics, where he fell short of a medal after losing the bronze to Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis via countback.
Back in the pink of health, Obiena came out in good form as he surpassed the first three heights — 5.40m, 5.55m, 5.65m — all in a single attempt before he committed three fouls at 5.75m. Kendricks struck gold with a clearance of 5.75m, while Germany’s Bo Kanda Lita Baehre also vaulted past 5.65m like Obiena but settled for bronze via countback. Other competitors included Olympians Ben Broeders of Belgium, Torben Blech of Germany, and Piotr Lisek of Poland.
The Asian record holder of 6.00m, Obiena previously said his next target is to clear 6.10m and then 6.15m next. Once ranked No. 2 in the world, Obiena currently sits at No. 4 behind world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden (No. 1), Kendricks (No. 2), and Karalis (No. 3).
Source: rappler.com
Comments