EJ Obiena wins Orlen Copernicus gold anew

EJ Obiena successfully defends his gold medal in the Orlen Copernicus Cup. –EJ OBIENA INSTAGRAM

MANILA, Philippines — EJ Obiena completed his title-retention bid in the 2023 Orlen Copernicus Cup on Thursday (Manila time) in Torun, Poland.

The Olympic Filipino pole vaulter cleared 5.86 meters to stand the tallest in the 10-man tournament.

He beat Rutger Koppelaar of Netherlands, who finished second with a personal best of 5.82 m, while Ben Broeders of Belgium copped the bronze with 5.82m.

“Making it thru one day at a time. Now time to recover and try to get the much-needed rest,” Obiena wrote. “Thank you to everyone who has supported me. We still fighting.“

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Obiena surpassed his previous record in the Copernicus Cup last year.

The 27-year-old Filipino won his fourth gold in six tournaments.

Obiena on Wednesday announced that he will no longer participate in the Asian Indoor Championships due to logistical and financial issues.