Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena cleared the six-meter barrier to claim the silver medal at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday (early Sunday morning in the Philippines).

After effortlessly jumping 5.95m and 5.90m, Obiena needed two attempts to clear 6m, which he first achieved in June at the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway.

He attempted to pass the 6.05- and 6.10-m marks but failed.

Obiena’s performance in Budapest was an improvement from his third-place finish at the 2022 edition in the United States.

Sweden’s Armand Duplantis retained his world men’s pole vault title, going close on three occasions in a bid to better his own world record.

Duplantis finished with a best vault of 6.10m.

Australian Kurtis Marschall and American Chris Nilsen shared bronze (5.95m).

Remarkably, it was a sixth successive title for the 23-year-old US-born Swede: he was European, world outdoor, and world indoor champion in 2022, and Olympic and European indoor winner in 2021.

“I’m really happy about all these consecutive golds. I don’t know where this one ranks, but I’m happy to keep winning,” said Duplantis.

“This was maybe the craziest atmosphere I’ve ever competed in, so it meant a lot to be able to turn on a pole vault show for them.

“I felt a bit of pressure as the defending champion, but I’m glad to come through it. It feels pretty good to be on top again.”

Duplantis sailed clear at the opening mark of 5.55m, skipped 5.75 and went over with a lot to spare at 5.85.

Only four other vaulters from the 12-strong field went clear at 5.85m: France’s Thibaut Collet (for a personal best), Marschall, Obiena, and Nilsen, the latter on the third time of asking.

Obiena, Collet, and Nilsen then cleared 5.90m, as Duplantis opted not to compete at that height.

Marschall failed once at that height, but skipped successfully straight to a personal best of 5.95. Collet mirrored the Australian’s strategy as the bar was raised to the mythical 6.00m mark.

Duplantis flew over that height easily, as did Obiena on his second effort for what was an Asian record.

But it proved more problematic for the remaining vaulters, with Collet first out to maintain France’s medal-less championships, swiftly followed by Marschall and Nilsen.

The bar was raised to 6.05m, posing no problem for Duplantis. Obiena, however, failed with his first attempt and opted to have the bar go up to 6.10m.

Duplantis made no mistake, showing real emotion on landing for the first time in the realization that gold was likely his.

That became a reality after Obiena failed in his bid at that height.

The question left was whether Duplantis would try to better his own world record of 6.22m, set indoors in France in February.

He went close on his three bids but was still assured of a second world gold.

“I try not to set limits and barriers on myself, and once I started to realize a world record was possible, I tried not to see it as a record, just as another height I can achieve,” Duplantis said.

“But today never really felt like a world record competition. It was more a pure competition, and that’s how it can be. It was great fun. I’d spent a lot of energy by the time it got up to 6.23m.”