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Friday, March 29, 2024

Obiena recovers from Brussels slide, grabs share of 2nd place

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Olympic pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena recovered nicely from his Brussels showing as he ended up grabbing a share of second place in the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial 2021 in Poland last Sunday.

In making a clearance of 5.80 meters on his second try, Obiena snared the silver medal to settle for a two-way tie at no. 2 spot with American KC Lightfoot in the men’s pole vault event of the Skolimowska tournament at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzow.

Ernest John Obiena
Ernest John Obiena

“Good job. Hope he maintains performance,” said Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association president Philip Ella Juico.

Obiena went up to no. 5 in the world rankings on August 29 following his 5.91 meter-performance right on his first attempt during the Paris leg of the Wanda Diamond League. The feat shattered his own Philippine mark of 5.87 meters and netted him the silver medal behind world-record holder and Olympic champion Armand Duplantis of Sweden.

But after his record-breaking show, the 25-year-old Obiena once again tried to find his bearings in the Brussels’ stop of the Wanda Diamond League series, where he slipped to 10th place with a leap of 5.65 meters on Friday.

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Duplantis went on to dominate the Brussels’ leg.

Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Christopher Nilsen of the United States won the Poland meet with a 5.86-meter effort. The event is part of of the Continental Tour Gold Level Series of World Athletics.

A total of 10 pole vaulters saw action, with Duplantis notably absent after skipping the event.

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