Tokyo Olympian EJ Obiena’s historic feat in the recent World Athletics Championships in Oregon, United States has inspired fellow Filipino athletes, including those in the Cordillera.
In spite of the long post-Covid symptom, Obiena has reset the Asian and Philippines record when he hurdled the 5.94-meter clearance on his second try, making him the first Filipino to win a medal in the men’s pole vault in the World Athletics Championships.
The 26-year-old Obiena has attempted to hurdle the 6.0-meter clearance but was unsuccessful on three tries.
Mondo Duplantis, a world record holder from Sweden, won the gold medal, being the only competitor to jump the 6.0-meter clearance and set another world record at 6.21 meters.
American Chris Nilsen settled for silver via countback.
Obiena has been sustaining his training for future international competitions, including the 2024 Olympics.
He broke the Asian Athletics Championships record with 5.71 meters on April 21, 2019 in Doha, Qatar which earned him the gold medal.
The Tondo, Manila native is the first Filipino given a scholarship from the International Athletic Association Federation. – HFP
