EJ Obiena extends gold streak with best clearance in two years
MANILA, Philippines – For two years, the 5.90-meter bar had proven out of reach for EJ Obiena.
But the Filipino pole vault star finally broke through on Monday, August 17 (Tuesday, August 18, Manila time), as he ruled the Golden Sand in Miedzyzdroje, Poland, with a new meet record of 5.91m.
It marked the first time Obiena cleared 5.90m since reaching the exact height in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he narrowly missed out on a bronze medal.
Obiena also recorded his best clearance since vaulting 5.97m to win the 2024 Irena Szewinska Memorial, also held in Poland.
“I haven’t been up here for some time,” Obiena wrote on his social media accounts. “Thank you very much Golden Sand for having me. Happy to finally be back over a 90 bar.”
Obiena bagged his third consecutive gold medal and eighth overall this 2026 with hardly any resistance as Qatar’s Seifeldin Abdelsalam finished a distant second with 5.75m.
USA’s Cole Walsh completed the podium with 5.70m, beating Saudi Arabia’s Hussain Al-Hizam for the bronze medal via countback.
Slowly rediscovering his old form, Obiena has cleared at least 5.80m in five of his last six meets after going nearly a year without surpassing the mark.
Before Golden Sand, Obiena won back-to-back gold medals in Germany as he topped the 1st International Pole Vault Meeting in Halberstad with 5.76m and the 30th International Pole Vault Meeting in Jockgrim with 5.83m.
Obiena’s recent success augurs well for his upcoming campaign in the Asian Games, where he will try to defend his crown in Nagoya, Japan, in September. – Rappler.com
