EJ Obiena advances to Paris medal round

Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena pulls through a shaky start as he continues his hunt for the Philippines’ first Olympic athletics medal in 88 years.

The world’s second-best pole vaulter advanced to the men’s pole vault finals after reaching the Top 12 of the qualifiers on Saturday, August 3 (Manila time) at the Stade de France in Paris. 

Obiena nearly saw his dreams and years of hard work go down the drain after a seemingly uncharacteristic performance in his first two attempts. He surprisingly fumbled both of his opening jumps in the 5.60 meters bar.

The University of Santo Tomas product held his nerve and decided to disregard his third try in the 5.60m level and opted to raise the bar to 5.70m. Obiena hurdled the height in a single attempt to stave off elimination.

Obiena rediscovered his form and easily surpassed 5.75 meters to finish seventh overall and claim his place in the 12-man finale headlined by reigning Olympic champion and world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden.

The 28-year-old Obiena seeks to bounce back from his 11th-place finish in the Tokyo Olympics as he competes in the final set on August 6 (Manila time).

The Philippines last bagged an athletics medal in the Olympics in 1936 when Miguel White finished with a bronze medal in the men’s 400-meter hurdles held in Berlin.

Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena pulls through a shaky start as he continues his hunt for the Philippines’ first Olympic athletics medal in 88 years.
PHOTO COURTESY: INQUIRER.NET
Keanna Wren

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