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.“
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.