Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena clinched the gold medal in Croatia

Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena kicked off his indoor season campaign with a bang, securing a gold medal in the Memorijal Josip Gasparac held at the Dvorane Gradski Vrt in Osijek, Croatia, early Wednesday morning, February 21 (Philippine time).

Obiena, who was recently named the Philippine Sportswriters Association Athlete of the Year, cleared an impressive height of 5.83 meters (m) in just one attempt, outshining his competitors.

Although Obiena attempted to clear 5.93 m, he was unable to do so successfully in three tries.

“Indoor season finally kicked off. 5.83-m [clearance] for the win here at Osijek. Thank you for having us and putting on a great atmosphere,” Obiena shared in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning.

The reigning Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games champion started strong by effortlessly clearing the 5.51-m height, opting to skip 5.61 m and 5.68 m.

Obiena faced some challenges at the 5.73-m bar, but managed to clear it in two attempts.

Pedro Buaro of Portugal provided some competition, successfully clearing 5.73 m in three tries, but he fell short in his attempts at 5.83 m, settling for the silver medal.

Olen Tray Oates of the United States of America claimed the bronze medal with a clearance of 5.61 m in the event.

Obiena, the first Filipino athlete to qualify for the Paris Olympics this year, is set to compete next at the Istaf Indoor meet in Berlin, Germany, on the 23rd.

Following that, the world No. 2 pole vaulter will head to Glasgow, Scotland, to participate in the World Indoor Championship on March 3.

Sports News: Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena clinched the gold medal in Croatia