EJ Obiena rules Asiad pole vault anew, delivers PH's third gold

September 30 ------ Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena remains the gold standard in his event in Asia. Obiena put on a record-breaking performance at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya, Japan to deliver the Philippines' third gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games.

Obiena cleared 5.91-meters, matching his season-best and resetting the mark that he set three years ago in Hangzhou to clinch the gold medal. China's Yao Jie (5.70-m) and Li Chenyang (5.70-m) completed the podium, with Yao taking the silver via countback. Obiena had skipped the first three heights before successfully clearing 5.50-m, 5.70-m, and 5.75-m in his first attempts. His last clearance put him in first place, with the Chinese athletes and Thailand's Patsapong Amsamarng in chase. But Amsamarng faltered twice at 5.75-m, while Yao missed on all three of his attempts. Li, after missing his first try at 5.75-m, twice attempted to clear 5.80-m and failed both times.

Obiena also missed two attempts at 5.80-m, but was already assured of a gold medal. Still, he put on a final show for the crowd at the stadium, and successfully cleared 5.91-m in his last jump. A jubilant Obiena yelled in triumph after the record-setting jump, having built on the momentum of a series of wins heading into the Asian Games.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com