World-class pole vaulter EJ Obiena returns into action when he competes in three prestigious outdoor tournaments in Europe early this month.
The Tokyo Olympian will be participating in the 5th Irena Szewinska Memorial in Bydgoszcz, Poland on June 6 before joining the Sparebanken Vest Bergen Jump Challenge on 10 and the Bislette Games on June 15 in Norway. This would be Obiena’s first tournament since lording it over in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last month where he broke his own Games record three times under rainy conditions at 5.65 meters. Obiena is gearing up for another shot at the Olympics when qualifications for the 2024 Paris Games starts on July 1 until June 30 next year. The Olympic qualifying standard for men’s pole vault is 5.82m. The 27-year-old Tondo native aims just that as he guns to improve his 11th place finish in the Tokyo Olympics. He currently holds the national and Asian record of 5.94m when he clinched the historic bronze medal in the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in 2022.
*EJ Obiena returns into action for the first time since winning the 32nd Southeast Asian Games gold medal in record-breaking fashion. (File Photo)
*The Tokyo Olympian will be participating in the 5th Irena Szewinska Memorial in Bydgoszcz, Poland on June 6 before joining the Sparebanken Vest Bergen Jump Challenge on 10 and the Bislette Games on June 15 in Norway. This would be Obiena’s first tournament since lording it over in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia last month where he broke his own Games record three times under rainy conditions at 5.65 meters. Obiena is gearing up for another shot at the Olympics when qualifications for the 2024 Paris Games starts on July 1 until June 30 next year. The Olympic qualifying standard for men’s pole vault is 5.82m. The 27-year-old Tondo native aims just that as he guns to improve his 11th place finish in the Tokyo Olympics. He currently holds the national and Asian record of 5.94m when he clinched the historic bronze medal in the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in 2022.