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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Obiena captures gold with season-best performance in Berlin

Obiena captures gold with season-best performance in Berlin

Published Mar 7, 2026 09:29 am

At A Glance

  • The two-time Olympian and Asian record-holder cleared the bar at 5.78 meters on his first attempt at the Uber Arena to rule the eight-player field that included fellow Olympians.
Another golden performance for EJ Obiena. (File Photo/ EJ Obiena Facebook)
Another golden performance for EJ Obiena. (File Photo/ EJ Obiena Facebook)
EJ Obiena flashed his winning form and captured the gold medal with a season-best performance at the ISTAF Indoor Berlin in Germany on Friday, March 6 (early Saturday, March 7, Philippine time).
The two-time Olympian and Asian record-holder cleared the bar at 5.78 meters on his first attempt at the Uber Arena to rule the eight-player field that included fellow Olympians.
Norway’s Simen Guttormsen registered the same 5.78m height, but settled for the silver medal after tiebreaks were applied.
Menno Vloon of the Netherlands bagged the bronze medal with 5.70m.
“Brick by brick, we build. Season’s best of 5.78m and a (gold medal) here… Thanks for having me, Berlin,” Obiena wrote on social media moments after his victory.
It was Obiena’s first victory since reigning supreme in the Asian Indoor Championships in Tianjin, China last month.
Ranked No. 12 in the world, Obiena skipped the opening heights of 5.30m and 5.40m before entering at 5.60m, which he cleared on his second attempt.  He then passed on 5.70m and moved straight to 5.78m.
At 5.78m, he brushed the bar on the way down, but it stayed in place.
Obiena and Guttormsen both attempted 5.83m but were unsuccessful.
Other finishers were Germany’s Bo Kanda Lita Baehre (5.70m), Czech Republic’s David Holy (5.60m), Germany’s Torben Blech (5.60m), Latvia’s District Valters (5.60m) and France’s Valentin Lavillenie (5.45m).
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