(Eagle News) — Philippine pole vaulter EJ Obiena finished first in the 2022 Orlen Orlen Cup in Poland on Friday (Saturday in the Philippines), after clearing 5.81 meters on his first attempt.
This is a major win for the 26-year old Obiena who beat seven other pole vaulters, including 2020 Olympics bronze medalist Thiago Braz da Silva of Brazil who finished second.
Obiena tried to reset his personal best and Asian record of 5.93 meters, but failed to do so.
Still, his victory at clearing 5.81 meters in one go at the international competition put the Philippines on the top spot. This is Obiena’s first major win for 2022.
Braz, the 2016 Summer Olympics champion, settled for second spot after clearing the 5.71 meter bar in one try.
Piotr Lisek of Poland finished third after clearing 5.71 meters on the second attempt.
The other competitors were three pole vaulters from Poland, one from Belarus, and one from China.
Obiena will next compete in France next week, at the Meeting Hauts-De-France on February 17.
At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Obiena advanced to the finals of the pole vault competition but failed make a podium finish. He is the first Filipino pole vaulter to make it to the Olympics finals.
(Eagle News Service)
