At A Glance
- Sanctioned by World Athletics, the event is part of an initiative led by Obiena, who aspired to bring a world-class competition to the country to inspire future generations of athletes.
EJ OBIENA brings world-class athletes in the Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge. (File Photo)
Two-time Olympians EJ Obiena banners a strong cast composed of some of the best in the sport when the country hosts the Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge on Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Ayala Triangle in Makati City.
Sanctioned by World Athletics, the event is part of an initiative led by Obiena, who aspired to bring a world-class competition to the country to inspire future generations of athletes.
Aside from Obiena, who is currently ranked No. 7 in the world, out to compete are world No. 5 Ersu Sasma of Turkey, No. 6 Menno Vloon of the Netherlands, No. 12 Thibaut Collet of France, No. 13 Ben Broeders of Belgium, No. 14 Austin Miller and No. 22 Matt Ludwig of the United States, No. 15 Piotr Lisek of Poland, and No. 16 Oleg Zernikel of Germany.
Collet and Vloon are coming off strong finishers at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan last week, where they tallied identical 5.90 meters to finish fifth and seventh, respectively.
Sasma also competed in the finals but failed to register a mark, while Broeders, Miller and Obiena saw action in the qualifications, but missed the mark to make it to the finals.
While being a gracious host, Obiena also hopes for a podium finish before the home crowd as the event serves as a highlight of his 2025 season.