HANGZHOU – After a whirlwind 2023 that catapulted Ernest John Obiena to world no. 2, a silver in the World Athletics Championships, a seat in the Paris Olympics, and a record-smashing Asian Games’ gold, the Filipino superstar pole vaulter has finally earned the right to rest.

“Oh I’m resting,” said Obiena after his record-smashing, history-making performance at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, where he delivered the Philippines’ first and so far only gold in the 19th Asian Games on Saturday night.

When asked if he’s preparing for the Paris Olympics after the games, Obiena aired his determination to rest. “I’m not thinking about it (Olympics) now.”

The 27-year-old Obiena captured the pole vault gold with his record leap of 5.75 meters, which he further smashed at 5.9. He tried to break his own 6.0 meters by setting the bar to 6.02 as a gift to his coach Vitaly Petrov, but couldn’t pull it off in three tries.

Nevertheless, Obiena has accomplished his goal of winning an Asian Games gold, the Philippines’ first in athletics in 37 years since Lydia de Vega’s 100-meter conquest in the Seoul Asiad, and the first athletics medal of any color in 29 years since Elma Muros’ bronze feat in the long jump competitions of the 1994 Hiroshima games

“I’m very happy that he pulled through. I can imagine the pressure on EJ because of all the expectations, but he pulled through. It seemed like a routine for him and it’s a good routine. Parang nagiging mindset na niya to win every tournament he joins,” said athletics’ president Terry Capistrano.

“And that’s very good, let him rest for now, and then after Christmas, we can start thinking of Paris. Again, congratulations to all of us. Hindi naman ako ang tumalon, but I’m very happy. And this is not just about athletics, it’s for our campaign here in general. I hope we win more medals in the other sports. Sana madagdagan pa ang gold natin or the silver or the bronze,” Capistrano added.

Obiena joined the exclusive 6-meter club at the Sparebanken Vest Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway on June 10, 2023.

A month later, Obiena became the first Filipino to qualify for the 2024 Olympics after clearing the Olympic standard of 5.82 meters at the Bauhaus Galan in Stockholm, Sweden.

Other highlights of Obiena’s busy 2023 include a title in the Cambodia SEA Games; the Müller Indoor Grand Prix Birmingham crown with his 5.82 meters; the Orlen Copernicus Cup Torun gold with his 5.91 meters; the World Athletics Championships, where he bagged the silver medal with a clearance of 5.94 meters; and the European Athletics Championships, where he finished fourth in the final, clearing 5.85 meters.

(AI/MNM)

MANILA — Ernest John ‘EJ’ Obiena’s podium streak came to a halt in Zurich, marking the first time this year that he did not secure a top-three finish.

At the Letzigrund Stadium in Switzerland, Obiena, the Filipino pole vault sensation with a personal best of 6.0 meters, found himself at the bottom of the standings among a field of ten athletes. His clearance height in Zurich was 5.60 meters.

Initially, Obiena successfully vaulted over the 5.60-meter bar on his first attempt. However, when he raised the bar to 5.75 meters, he failed to clear it in two tries. In a final effort, he attempted 5.85 meters but was unsuccessful.

The reigning world No. 1 pole vaulter, Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis from Sweden, clinched the championship by clearing 6.0 meters. Duplantis made an ambitious attempt to break his own world record of 6.22 meters but fell short when he couldn’t clear the 6.23-meter bar after three tries.

American Sam Kendricks secured the silver medal with a 5.95-meter performance, while compatriot KC Lightfoot claimed the bronze with a 5.85-meter clearance.

Obiena’s impressive streak of 11 consecutive podium finishes was disrupted following his silver medal performance at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where he equaled his personal best and Asian record of 6.0 meters, earning the Philippines its first-ever silver medal in the prestigious world event. (ai/mnm)

Ernest John “EJ” Obiena, the Filipino pole vaulter, has successfully secured his spot in the finals of the 2023 World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, Hungary.

On Wednesday, during the qualifying round, he impressively cleared the bar set at 5.75 meters on his first attempt, solidifying his advancement to the next stage of the competition.

Obiena’s journey to the finals began with a confident clearance of the initial height at 5.55 meters.

Notably, he chose to skip both the 5.35-meter mark and the 5.70-meter mark during the tournament. With his exceptional performance, he has earned his place among the finalists.

The culminating event is scheduled to take place on Saturday, offering an exciting platform for Obiena to showcase his skills and determination on the global stage. (ai/mnm)

UP, UP and AWAY: EJ Obiena soars high en route to clearing the Olympics qualifying bar. (Esquire Philippines photo courtesy)

Pole vault star EJ Obiena has become the first representative from the Philippines to secure a spot in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.

As the world’s third-ranked pole vaulter, he successfully qualified for the Summer Games by surpassing the 5.82-meter mark during the Wanda Diamond League’s Bauhaus Galan meet in Stockholm, Sweden.

This event marked the beginning of the Olympic qualifying season for the sport.

Standing at six feet two inches, Obiena required two attempts to meet the entry standard.

Another athlete heading to Paris is Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis, who effortlessly cleared the 5.82-meter mark on his first try. Although Obiena settled for the silver medal, he gave his all in attempting to clear the 5.95-meter mark but unfortunately fell short in all his subsequent tries.

Duplantis, on the other hand, successfully achieved the same height and went even further, reaching 6.05 meters to claim the gold medal. He even requested to raise the bar to 6.23 meters in an ambitious bid for a potential world record but was unable to surpass it.

Out of the participants in the tournament, only these two athletes secured their spots for the Paris Olympics. Norway’s Pål Haugen Lillefosse and Belgium’s Ben Broeders both cleared 5.72 meters but missed out on the qualification. Lillefosse secured the bronze medal through a countback process.

Just last week, Obiena achieved a bronze medal at the Golden Spike meet in the Czech Republic. Earlier in June, he set a new Asian record by reaching the impressive 6.0-meter mark during the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway.

Obiena’s upcoming schedule includes the Meeting International de Sotteville in Rouen, France, which is the second Olympic qualifying event, taking place on July 7. Afterward, he will travel to Bangkok, Thailand to participate in the Asian Athletics Championship from July 12 to 16. (Source: Online/ai/mnm)