EJ Obiena bags gold at 12th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships
EJ Obiena soared high once again as he cleared his way to gold at the 12th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tianjin, China.
The Filipino pole vaulter rose above the field with a successful jump of 5.70 meters, earning him his first-ever gold at the event held at the Tuanbo Sports Center on Feb. 7.
China’s Li Chenyang settled for silver after managing 5.60 meters, while compatriot Chen Yang completed the podium with a 5.40-meter effort.
Obiena later set his sights on a higher mark but was unable to go past 5.80 meters in all three attempts.
Nevertheless, it was a proud moment for the two-time Olympian, who shared his accomplishment on his Instagram account as he posed with his competitors.
"Your boy is finally an Asian Indoor Champ," he wrote.
He highlighted how the moment "means way more than just a win," adding that he would elaborate more in the future.
Obiena's victory comes as he recently won gold during the International Springer-Meeting in Germany last Jan. 29, making this his second gold medal for this year.
He is now set to compete at the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe in Germany.
Obiena is currently ranked world No. 11 in men's pole vault by the World Athletics Rankings as of Feb. 3. He holds the Asian record with his clearance of 6.00 meters at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, where he won the silver medal.
He also remains the two-time defending champion and record holder in the Asian Athletics Championships (5.91 meters), as well as the three-time defending champion and record holder in the SEA Games (5.65 meters).