By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Filipino pole vaulting sensation EJ Obiena added another prestigious medal to his collection after bagging the silver during the Diamond League Final leg last September 18, 2023, held in Eugene, USA.
Heading into the competition with a running podium finish winning streak, Obiena didn’t disappoint his fans after leaping over the 5.82-meter height to secure second place.
It was a thrilling showdown between Obiena and world no. 1 pole vaulter Armand Duplantis after the two athletes were the only qualifiers to grab the championship title.
Obiena arranged a mano-a-mano contest with Duplantis after Sam Kendricks, Kurtis Marschall, and Chris Nilsen weren’t able to cruise past the 5.82m height.
However, the Filipino failed to complete his routine at the 6.02m while Duplantis soared over the height and eventually decided to jump over the 6.23m to set a new world record.
Duplantis then shocked the whole crowd after a successful jump and reset a new world record in just a single attempt.
Completing the list of the podium finishers was Kendricks, one of the superstars in the USA delegation with a score of 5.72m.
Marschall and Nilsen had their chances to snatch the bronze medal away from Kendricks but both of them lost via the countback rule.
With the huge podium finish, Obiena will be heading to the 2023 Asian Games in China with confidence and is already the tournament favorite to win the gold medal.
The Asian Games will kick off on September 23, 2023, and will be held in Hangzhou, China until October 8, 2023.
