AS PART of his preparations for next week’s major tournament, Ernest John (EJ) Obiena delivered a strong showing by clinching a bronze medal at the World Athletics Continental Tour over the weekend.
After a two-month break, Obiena returned to competition and cleared 5.65 meters to secure third place in Beijing, China, finishing behind local favorite Tao Zhong and American vaulter Cole Walsh.
Zhong claimed the gold via countback after successfully vaulting 5.75 meters. Walsh also cleared 5.75 meters but had to settle for silver due to more failed attempts than Zhong.
Busy Schedule Coming Up
This performance gives a much-needed boost to the 29-year-old Filipino pole vaulter as he gears up for the World Athletics Championships scheduled for September 13 to 21 in Japan.
Although new to this edition of the tournament, Obiena previously achieved a 6.00m mark during the 2023 event—setting both an Asian and Philippine record—and he hopes to hit that form again.
In July, the two-time Olympian also bagged a silver medal at the Meeting Madrid in Spain with a 5.80m effort. Heading into the world meet, Obiena currently ranks No. 7 globally in men’s pole vault.
Aside from these international events, he’s also preparing for the highly anticipated Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge, set for September 20–21 at Ayala Triangle in Makati.
“This event is part of the World Athletics Calendar and will follow a street vaulting format,” Obiena shared in a previous press conference. “We are so excited to bring an event such as this to Philippine shores.
“This has been a dream to bring the world of pole vault into Philippines, as I hope this could inspire future generation of athletes. We also want to showcase the country’s abilities to host such a huge international-level competition,” he added.
In addition to World No. 7 Obiena, several top-tier athletes are expected to participate in the upcoming tournament. Leading the roster are Turkey’s World No. 5 Ersu Sasma and The Netherlands’ World No. 6 Menno Vloon.
Also set to compete in the Makati event are Thibaut Collet of France (No. 12), Ben Broeders of Belgium (No. 13), Austin Miller of the USA (No. 14), Poland’s Piotr Lisek (No. 15), Germany’s Oleg Zernikel (No. 16), and Matt Ludwig of the USA (No. 23).
The two-day competition is being held through a partnership between the Ayala Foundation’s Atletang Ayala program and the MVP Sports Foundation. This collaboration brings to life an ambitious event—the first of its kind in the Philippines.
