Filipino pole vault sensation Ernest John Obiena is still finding his form.
To stay in shape, the Tokyo Olympics-bound Obiena will join the Poznań Athletics Grand Prix 2020 athletics meet, which will be held Friday.
The 24-year-old Obiena will be ranged against world-class stars at the Golęcin Stadium when competition starts 4:30 p.m.
The presence of world record holder Swede Armand Duplantis and defending champion Paweł Wojciechowski, who won the event last year, is expected to fire up Obiena.
“I’m definitely not at my peak. I’m at my 16 step approach,” said Obiena.
The last time around, a confident Obiena still managed to record a season best attempt of 5.74 meters to grab the men’s pole vault gold in the 59th Ostrava Golden Spike competition in the Czech Republic on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).
Both the Tokyo Olympics-bound Obiena and 2012 Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie of France cleared the same height when action ended at MÄ›stský stadium.
But, since the Frenchman cleared 5.64 meters in three attempts in the countback, Lavillenie was awarded the silver medal.
The 24-year-old Obiena aced the 5.64 meters in just two tries.
“I just tried to stay in good posture,” added Obiena.
The guidance of coach Vitaly Petrov helped the 6’2” Obiena.
With Duplantis in attendance, along with Wojciechowski, Obiena believes that he is now in good company.
“I’m quite comfortable competing with them. We travel a lot during the circuit and I have made friends,” said Obiena.
Last February, Duplantis won the All Star Perche in Clermont-Ferrand by clearing 6.01 m in his last indoor competition for the season which ended with unsuccessful attempts at 6.19 m. Peter Atencio
EJ continues to compete against the world’s best and is on track to surpass his personal best of 5.81 needing only what EJ’s father-coach Emerson says are, “a few adjustments,” according to Philippine Athletics Track and Field chief Philip Ella Juico.