POLE vault star EJ Obiena posted a new Asian Games record on Saturday as he claimed the Philippines’ first gold medal in the continent’s premier sporting event.
Before a cheering crowd in Hangzhou, China, Obiena cleared 5.90 meters, 20 centimeters higher than the previous meet record of 5.70 meters logged by Japan’s Seito Yamamoto in Indonesia in 2018.
“I think we were able to do what we needed to do—bring back the gold to the country, which is the most important thing,” Obiena said in an interview after the competition.
The 27-year-old also made three attempts to cross 6.02 meters and shatter his own Asian record (6.0 meters), but he was unsuccessful.
China’s Huang Bokai secured the silver on countback (5.65 meters), while Saudi Arabia’s Hussain Al Hizam finished in third place after jumping the same height.
There is only a week remaining until the conclusion of the Asian Games, and the Philippines is currently in 19th place with one gold, one silver, and seven bronze medals.
