Obiena still Asia's top pole vaulter

Category : Sports | Sub Category : International Competition Posted on 2025-06-02 07:51:07

PNA

MANILA – Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John "EJ" Obiena won his third gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea over the weekend.

The Asian record-holder won the jump-off at 5.77 meters to claim his third title, with China’s world and Olympic finalist Bokai Huang taking the silver with a season-best 5.72m.

Thailand's Patsapong Amsamarng settled for bronze with a personal-best 5.67m.

Filipino Hokkett Delos Santos registered 4.97m to finish 13th among 15 entries.

Obiena, a two-time Olympian, won his first title in Dubai (2019) and repeated in Bangkok (2023) where he set the Asian record at 5.91m.

On May 7, Obiena triumphed in the Pole Vault Challenge at Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub in Cavite.

He cleared 5.80m to prevail over Chinese Taipei's Yan-Han Wu and Delos Santos, who both registered 5.15m.