August 17 ------ Filipinos will finally get a chance to see pole vaulting at its highest level when an event is showcased in the World Athletics Continental Tour to held in Makati sometime this year. Filipino pole vault ace EJ Obiena, ranked second in the world behind Mondo Duplantis, is the country's best in the sport and has helped popularize the once obscure event into a must-watch event for the country with his global exploits. The latest of which was the Paris Olympics where Obiena narrowly missed a medal finish on his final try at 5.95 meters.
Obiena has been instrumental in bringing the event to Manila although it remains uncertain if Duplantis will travel here to compete. The event is already listed in the World Athletics website under the name Philippine International Pole Vault Challenge, with the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City listed as the venue. The event is grouped as a Challenger, the fourth tier among the four levels of competition behind Gold, Silver, and Bronze of the World Athletics Continental Tour.
The Challenger series is in Category D in all events being sanctioned by World Athletics ranked alongside the third-tier Regional Championships, Championships, and Cups, and National Senior Championships. The event is expected to give athletics a boost in the country whose main spectator sport have mainly been basketball and volleyball, where Filipinos, unfortunately, have never figured prominently in the global stage.
Source: spin.ph
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