EJ Obiena wins elusive gold, tops Ostrava tilt

Photo from EJ Obiena’s Facebook

MANILA, Philippines — EJ Obiena finally claimed the elusive gold medal after winning the 59th Ostrava Golden Spike tournament Wednesday at Mestsky Stadion in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

The Filipino pole vault star reached a season-best 5.74 meters to bag his first gold.

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Obiena, who is among the country’s top bets in the Tokyo Olympics next year, won two silvers and a bronze just last month.

The 24-year-old Obiena bested a tough field that featured the likes of Thiago Braz of Brazil, Renaud Lavillenie of France and Sam Kendricks of the United States,

Lavillenie, a three-time world indoor champion, won the silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics and gold in the 2012 Games, while Kendricks captured the bronze in Rio.

This time, Lavillenie and Kendricks seized the silver and bronze, respectively behind Obiena.

Braz, the reigning Olympic champion, missed out on the podium with a fourth-place finish.