Pole vaulter EJ Obiena continued his strong showing after clinching the silver medal in the Monaco leg of the Diamond League on Friday, July 21 (Saturday in Manila).
Obiena registered the Olympic height of 5.82 meters after failing to clear his attempts at 5.92m and 6.02m, allowing Chris Nilsen of the United States to capture the gold medal. Nilsen, who has already earned an Olympic berth to Paris along with Obiena, ruled the 10-player field with a season-best 5.92m. Australian Kurtis Marschall settled for the bronze via countback after posting a similar best jump of 5.82m with Obiena. World No. 1 Armand Duplantis of Sweden, meanwhile, was not in his usual form after managing only 5.72m for fourth place. After successfully clearing 5.72m, the reigning Olympic champion skipped 5.82m and tried 5.92m twice but failed. He raised the bar at 6.02m for his last attempt, but was also unsuccessful. Obiena, meanwhile, bagged his ninth podium finish in the outdoor season since winning the gold medal in record-breaking fashion at the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia last May. He is also coming off a successful title defense at the Asian Championships in Bangkok, Thailand last week where he reset the tournament record with a 5.91m performance.
*EJ Obiena claims his ninth podium finish in the outdoor season. (File Photo/AFP)
*Obiena registered the Olympic height of 5.82 meters after failing to clear his attempts at 5.92m and 6.02m, allowing Chris Nilsen of the United States to capture the gold medal. Nilsen, who has already earned an Olympic berth to Paris along with Obiena, ruled the 10-player field with a season-best 5.92m. Australian Kurtis Marschall settled for the bronze via countback after posting a similar best jump of 5.82m with Obiena. World No. 1 Armand Duplantis of Sweden, meanwhile, was not in his usual form after managing only 5.72m for fourth place. After successfully clearing 5.72m, the reigning Olympic champion skipped 5.82m and tried 5.92m twice but failed. He raised the bar at 6.02m for his last attempt, but was also unsuccessful. Obiena, meanwhile, bagged his ninth podium finish in the outdoor season since winning the gold medal in record-breaking fashion at the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia last May. He is also coming off a successful title defense at the Asian Championships in Bangkok, Thailand last week where he reset the tournament record with a 5.91m performance.