FILE–Philippines’ pole vault EJ Obiena. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
MANILA, Philippines–EJ Obiena is on a mission to wipe out all available records in the continent.
The Filipino pole vault star blotted out another long-standing record in Asia early Saturday morning by clearing 5.93 meters for the gold medal at the ISTAF Indoor 2024 tournament in Berlin, Germany.
It was Obiena’s best jump of the season so far, finally eclipsing the nearly three-decade standard set by Kazakhstan’s Igor Potapovich (5.92m) accomplished during the 1998 indoor season in Stockholm, Sweden.
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After defeating silver medalist American Tray Oates (5.75m) and third-placer Robert Sobera of Poland (5.66m), Obiena likewise reset his own national indoor record.
The only record in Asian men’s pole vault that has yet to fall on Obiena’s hands is the Asian indoor athletics championship record where China’s Huang Bokai remains the standard-bearer at 5.75m.
Obiena, who owns the Asian outdoor record at six meters, also holds the standards in the Asian Games and Asian Athletics Championships (outdoor).
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Obiena kicked off his indoor season campaign last week in triumph by asserting himself in the Memorial Josip Gasparac in Osijek, Croatia.
Next stop for the world’s No. 2 vaulter is World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland on March 1-3 where his toughest rivals led by world champion Armand “Mondo’’ Duplantis of Sweden are expected to see action.
Joining Obiena at the indoor worlds in hurdler John Cabang Tolentino (men’s 60m hurdles) after the latter ranked 33rd out of 40 qualifiers on the road to Glasgow.
According to Philippine Athletics secretary general Jasper Tanhueco, hurdler-sprinter Lauren Hoffman might join Obiena and Tolentino as the Filipino-American has a chance to be included via universality in the women’s 400m.