THE moment has come for Ernest John (EJ) Obiena to reign supreme in the world of pole vaulting once more, as he has returned to the sport and won his first gold medal of the year at the Metz Moselle Athletor.
Just as he promised, the Filipino pole vaulter’s 2025 indoor season got off to a good start, as he is slowly bouncing back from the heartbreaking performances he had in 2024.
More than a week after finishing second in the International Jump Meeting Cottbus 2025 in Germany, the two-time Filipino Olympian won gold in France, clearing 5.70 meters in the eight-man competition.
Back in the Building
After falling short at the 2024 Paris Olympics and suffering a huge setback with a back injury months after it, the Asian and Southeast Asian record holder is gradually rediscovering his confidence and former self.
The Filipino pole vaulter cleared 5.50m on his first attempt and moved to 5.70m on his second, which allowed him to secure the title. He missed to clear the 5.85m on his final attempt.
Menno Vloon of the Netherlands cleared the same height as Obiena, but missed his effort during the tiebreaker, resulting in a second-place finish on countback. Meanwhile, Christopher Nilsen of USA has cleared 5.60m to take third place.
Obiena, who currently ranks fourth in the world rankings, was formerly ranked second. He’s slowly working his way back to the top, hoping to restore or improve his world ranks before the end of the year.
While he cleared his season-best, it is still not his target height, but it is an improvement over his 5.65m result in the Cottbus tournament, when he finished second to USA’s Sam Kendrick (5.75m).
Slowly but surely
With an enormous victory under his belt, the 29-year-old Obiena’s morale could be boosted as he prepares for his next indoor tournament, the ISTAF Indoor, in Dusseldorf, Germany.
“Merci Beaucoup Metz!!! Will take the season’s best and a dub!!! Now time to sleep and get some much needed rest as we go back at it tomorrow!!!” said Obiena on his Intagram post.
Obiena suffered a stress fracture in his spine in August 2024 while competing in the Wanda Diamond League, forcing him to miss the rest of the meet and focus on his recuperation for the 2025 indoor season.
In October 2024, Obiena announced that he had been medically cleared to resume his training. Since then, he has made significant progress and focused on himself to get back in good shape.
Now that he’s racking up wins, the Filipino sports star may be able to rebuild his confidence and participate more this year, with the intention of returning for another shot at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
