EJ Obiena bags gold in 12th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships

MANILA, February 9 ------ Filipino Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena claimed his second gold medal of the 2026 season, this time in Tianjin, China.

Obiena ruled the men's vault final at the 12th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships held at the Tuanbo Sports Center. The Filipino pole vaulter cleared 5.70 m in just one attempt to take home the gold. Obiena attempted to leap 5.80 m but was unable to clear the height in all his attempts.

China's Li Chenyang tried to clear the same height but failed in all three attempts. He settled for silver after successfully leaping 5.60 m in his second try. His compatriot Chen Yang clinched bronze after clearing 5.40 m in one attempt. Obiena remains the Asian indoor record holder at 5.93 m, a feat he achieved in the ISTAF Indoor competition last February 2024.

This victory marks the second gold for Obiena in the 2026 season, after topping the International Springer-Meeting in Germany last January 29. Up next for Obiena is the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe in Germany, where he will once again face Menno Vloon of the Netherlands. Obiena and Vloon were declared co-winners at the International Springer-Meeting.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com