PHNOM PENH, Cambodia– Pole vault star Ernest John Obiena will auction off his gold-medal-winning spikes to raise money for children back home in the Philippines who practise in a sawdust pit.
World-ranked number three Obiena took his third consecutive gold at the Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh on Monday.
Clearing 5.65m, he broke his own Games record.
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Afterwards, the Paris Olympics-bound 27-year-old told reporters he had seen a video of a child pole vaulter in the Philippines using sawdust to land in.
“Anyone who’s listening: it’s up for grabs,” he said, brandishing the pink-and-orange sports shoes.
“All money, all proceeds, will go to buying a new pole vault pit or a second-hand pole vault pit,” he added.
“If we can’t get actual size then we’ll get something — just not sawdust.”
The shoes could well increase in value over the next year or so, with Obiena in strong contention for a podium finish at Paris 2024.
© Agence France-Presse
