EJ Obiena vaults to best mark since Olympics

Looking like his old self again, Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena achieves his highest clearance in nearly two years as he bags silver in Spain

MANILA, Philippines – EJ Obiena is gradually rediscovering his old, dangerous form.

The Filipino pole vaulter set his best mark in nearly two years as he cleared 5.85 meters to bag the silver medal in the Meeting Madrid in Spain on Thursday, July 16 (Friday, July 17, Manila time).

It marked Obiena’s highest clearance since he recorded 5.90m in the 2024 Paris Games, where he finished fourth and fell short of an Olympic bronze by a single attempt.

Germany’s Bo Kanda Lita Baehre struck gold in Madrid with a personal-best 5.90m.

Obiena skipped 5.90m for 5.95m in a bid to supplant Lita Baehre from the top but missed the mark in all of his three attempts. 

Portugal’s Pedro Buaro also hurdled 5.85m like Obiena, although he settled for bronze via countback.

Obiena has consistently passed 5.80m as he made the height in his last three meets, clearing 5.81m for fourth place in the Fly Athens in Greece and 5.80m for sixth place in the Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Hungary.

Before that stretch, that last time Obiena leapt past 5.80m was at his home event, the Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge, in September 2025. 

Obiena’s resurgence bodes well for his cause, especially with the Asian Games, which will be hosted by Japan from September 19 to October 4, coming up.

The only Asian member of the six-meter club, Obiena is the defending champion of the quadrennial showdown after ruling the 2022 edition in China. – Rappler.com