HANGZHOU, China – Greatness achieved.

EJ Obiena formalized his coronation as Asia’s pole vault king the way the 19th Asian Games opened – in grand fashion.

Before thousands of cheering fans at the colossal Hangzhou Olympic Stadium, Obiena soared like a mighty eagle and cleared the 5.90 meters right on his first try to the win the gold medal, a feat that finally lifted the gloom that befell the entire nation since the official opening of the continental showpiece last week.

His effort obliterated the old mark of 5.70m which long time rival Japanese Seito Yamamoto established during the 2018 Games in Jakarta where Obiena finished a disappointing seventh.

He did try to beat his Asian record of 6.0m three times by going for 6.02m, but failed in three occasions – eliciting ohhs and ahhs from the excited crowd.

On his third botched attempt, he still managed to raise his clinched fists in triumph that had the PH delegation going wild as they finally savored the sweet taste of victory.

Obiena cleared the once unbeatable 6.0-meter barrier twice, including his historic silver medal win in the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary last month. 

Chinese Huang Bokai finished second in 5.65m, beating Saudi Arabia’s Al Hiozam Hussain Asim via the countback.