EJ Obiena soars to gold in pole vault home event

Metro Manila, Philippines - EJ Obiena put on a show in front of his Filipino fans to claim the gold medal in the World Pole Vault Challenge on Sunday, Sept. 21 at Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City.

The 29-year-old Obiena cleared the 5.80-meter mark on his second try to beat France's Thibaut Collet, who also made the same height but did it on his third and final attempt.

Piotr Lisek of Poland rounded up the podium as he settled for bronze after clearing 5.60 meters.

Hokett Delos Santos, the other Filipino in the nine-man field who earned a wild card entry following his win in the National Pole Vault Competition, failed to reach the second phase of the competition alongside Germany's Ben Broeders who withdrew due to back spasms.

Obiena, the Asian record holder, concluded a rollercoaster season that saw him fall to No. 7 in the World Athletics rankings and miss the final of the World Athletics Championships, where he won bronze and silver in 2022 and 2023, respectively.