MANILA – Pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena became the first Filipino athlete to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) said.
Obiena got the Olympic qualification after tallying 5.81 meters in a meet on Tuesday evening in Chiara, Italy, one meter above the Olympic qualifying standard of 5.80 meters.
Prior to his new national record feat, Obiena previously broke the national record in pole vaulting by clearing 5.55 meters at the 78th Singapore Open Championships in Kallang, Singapore in 2016.
He broke the national record for the second time earlier this year in the Asian Athletics Championships by hurdling 5.71 meters in a meet at Doha, Qatar which earned him the coveted gold medal finish.
Obiena, a former University of Santo Tomas athletics team standout, is the first Filipino that has been given a scholarship from the International Athletic Association Federation (IAAF).
Internationally, the 23-year-old Obiena has won a gold and bronze in the Asian Athletics Championship, a gold in Universiade and a silver medal in Southeast Asian Games./PN
