MANILA – Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena captured his first gold of the year. He ruled the Memorial Josip Gasparac indoor event on Tuesday night (Wednesday in the Philippines) in Croatia.
The former University of Santo Tomas track and field team standout emerged on top in the competition after successfully clearing the 5.83-meter mark.
Obiena finished over Portugal’s Pedro Buaro, who finished in second place with 5.73 meters, and Olen Tray Oates of the United States, who finished with 5.61 meters.
“Indoor season [has] finally kicked off. 5.83 for the win here,” Obiena posted on his official Facebook page. “Thank you for having us and putting on a great atmosphere.”
“Quote of the day from @hussain_pv : there were a lot of rust there,” added the 6-foot-2 Obiena, admitting that he is still far from his competitive form.
This was Obiena’s first pole vault tournament since finishing with a gold medal during the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
After the Croatia tournament, the world’s No. 2 ranked pole vaulter will next participate in the ISTAF Indoor in Berlin, Germany on February 23 (February 24 in the Philippines).
Obiena is also scheduled to see action in the World Indoor Championship in Glasgow, Scotland slated on March 3 (March 4 in the Philippines).
All of Obiena’s tournaments are part of his preparation for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Obiena is one of the four Filipino athletes so far who have earned an Olympic qualification aside from boxer Eumir Marcial, and gymnasts Carlos Yulo and Alleiah Finnegan./PN
