EJ Obiena soars to season best, captures silver in Madrid

MANILA, July 18 ------ A month since he moved his training base to Athens, Greece, Filipino Olympic pole vaulter EJ Obiena is slowly but surely soaring to greater heights.

Obiena successfully cleared 5.85 meters at the Meeting Madrid 2026 (World Athletics Continental Tour Silver). The Southeast Asian champion's performance was good for silver, while also recording his season best. "Green socks for the green track of Madrid 🇪🇸 5.85m for 2nd place and SB here @athleticstoures . Thank you for having us. Will get this bar next time," Obiena wrote on his Instagram post.

Germany's Bo Kanda Lita Baehre took home gold after soaring past 5.90 meters, while Portugal's Pedro Buaró clinched bronze at 5.85 meters. Last week, Obiena cleared 5.81 meters at the Fly Athens Street Pole Vault, where he missed out on the podium after the countback. Obiena is currently No. 14 in the latest men's pole vault world rankings.

The Olympic Filipino pole vaulter moved his training base to Athens, Greece, switching to Polish coach Marcin Szczepanski last month. Obiena trains alongside fellow Olympian and world No. 2 Emmanuel Karalis in a facility that is at the site of the 2004 Athens Olympics. The 30-year-old said the move to Greece is part of his plan to maximize his chances of contending for a medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com