THE REDEMPTION tour for World No. 4 Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John (EJ) Obiena continues, following a season-best performance that earned him the gold medal at the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Poland.
After finishing outside the podium in his Düsseldorf, Germany campaign, Obiena led the Philippines back to the top of the Orlen Copernicus Cup early Monday with a season-best performance.
The Filipino pole vaulter continued to reestablish his dominance and remind the world of what he is capable of when healthy, as he bounced back to win his second gold medal of the 2025 indoor season.
PH Back on Top
The two-time Olympian cleared 5.80 meters to win the 11-man tournament. However, he encountered old foes in Piotr Lisek, Sondre Guttormsen, Menno Vloom, and Huang Bokai, which made the task more difficult.
Obiena crossed 5.50m with ease after passing up the 5.20m and 5.40m. He then advanced and passed up an attempt at 5.60m before raising it to 5.70m, which he easily cleared.
After two failed attempts, the SEA Games champion struggled to jump the 5.80m hurdle, but eventually cleared it on the third and last attempt to seal the victory. Obiena attempted 5.85m as his ultimate height but fell short.
Meanwhile, hometown favorite Lisek of Poland won the silver medal with a 5.70m clearance, while Guttormsen of Norway cleared 5.70m but finished third due to a countback.
This performance is clearly a form of redemption for him after a dismal run at last week’s ISTAF Indoor in Germany, where he finished seventh in the eight-man tournament.
Off to a Great Start
Despite some hiccups, the 29-year-old Obiena had a strong start to the year after recuperating from a stress fracture in his spine that forced him to prematurely discontinue his 2024 campaign.
The fourth-place finisher at the 2024 Paris Olympics won his first gold medal in the Meeting Metz Moselle Athletor with a 5.70m finish.
This came more than a week after he won his first medal at the International Jump Meeting Cottbus 2025, held in Germany. He cleared 5.65 meters to win the silver medal.
“Still chasing. Good day in Torun with a new season-best of 5.80m and a win,” said Asia’s record-holder Obiena in an Instagram post, moments after he winning his second gold medal of the year.
With three medals under his belt for the 2025 campaign, Filipino star pole vaulter Obiena will continue to prepare and gain momentum for a busy indoor season, with the possibility of reaching new heights as the season develops.
