#ParasaBayan: EJ Obiena’s dream came true at Ayala Triangle
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Right after the Paris Olympics in 2024, Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena shared his long-time dream with the public: to host an international pole vault event in the Philippines.
It was a dream not just for himself but for the entire nation. Obiena wanted to bring over his friends from the sport to his home country, excite Filipino sports fans through an elite-level competition, and show that the Philippines can be a great host to a global sporting event.
“I will try to get the Olympic finalists and have a really good competition in the Philippines. I think the country deserves that,” Obiena told reporters then.
That dream finally came true, and the nation experienced an amazing treat.
Obiena and eight of his pole vault friends, among them Olympians and world championship medalists, took flight at the Ayala Triangle on Sept. 21 at the first-ever international pole vault competition on Philippine soil.
It was the climax to Obiena’s 2025 season—a bright spot for the dedicated athlete despite having bowed out of the just-concluded World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Not only did he earn ranking points, but he also competed in an international-level competition in front of a home crowd. And there was nothing like the roar of Filipinos cheering for their very own.
For Obiena, the excitement came more from sharing the experience with Filipino sports fans than from experiencing the event itself. He believed Filipinos deserved to enjoy this level of competition—to have something to cheer for.
Sanctioned by the World Athletics Continental Tour—Bronze Category, the Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge transformed the Ayala Triangle into a world-class sports venue, hosting Olympic-caliber athletes from around the world.
Among the participants were World No. 5 Ersu Sasma of Turkey, World No. 6 Menno Vloon of the Netherlands, World No. 12 Thibaut Collet of France, World No. 13 Ben Broeders of Belgium, World No. 14 Austin Miller of the United States, World No. 15 Piotr Lisek of Poland, World No. 16 Oleg Zernikel of Germany, and World No. 23 Matt Ludwig of the United States.*
The competition took place just over two months after Obiena launched the event during a presser on July 7, with the Ayala Foundation and the MVP Sports Foundation on board. The two organizations share Obiena’s goal of inspiring Filipino athletes towards global ambitions and uplifting Philippine sports as a whole.
At the time of the announcement, Obiena made an open call for organizations and individuals to help him mount the event.
The Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge was supported by 32 companies, each with its own respective contributions to make the event possible. It was also supported by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association, the Philippine Sports Commission, global athletics organizations World Athletics and Asian Athletics, and the City Government of Makati.
Indeed, when Obiena called, they responded with “bayanihan,” embodying that quintessential Filipino spirit of coming together as a community in times of need.
*World Athletics Pole Vault Rankings as of Sept. 2, 2025
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Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge.
