(Eagle News) – Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena failed to make the 5.80 meters in the pole vault finals Tuesday, Aug. 3, at the Tokyo Olympics but still made the country proud with his performance that saw a Filipino competing for the first time in this event at the Olympics.
The 25-year old Obiena cleared the 5.55 meters on his first attempt, and also made the 5.70 meters. But the 5.80 meters proved to be a challenge.
This was the first time that a Filipino pole vaulter made it to the championship round of the pole vault in the Olympics.
Obiena is also the only athlete from Southeast Asia in the roster of 14 finalists.
World record-holder for pole vault Sweden’s Armand “Mondo” Duplantis leads the finalists (ongoing as of 8:40 p.m. PH time). The 21-year old American-born Swedish is the current world indoor record holder who managed a height of 6.18 meters, and 6.15 meters in outdoors pole vault.
Duplantis won the Olympic gold in the pole vault later after effortlessly making the 6.02 meters on his first attempt. The silver goes to US pole vaulter Chris Nielsen who earlier managed his 5.92 meters attempt, but failed to clear the 6.02 meters in all three attempts. Brazil’s Thiago Braz da Silva, who won the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, settled for a bronze after failing to clear the 5.92 meters in the event.
(Eagle News Service)
