EJ OBIENA faltered to a score of 5.52 during the 63rd Ostrava Golden Spike in Czech Republic after one of his poles broke in the middle of the competition.
The mishap led to Obiena only finishing seventh in the event won by Sweden's Armand Duplantis, who cleared 6.00 meters.
The result capped off a frustrating couple of days for the Filipino pole vaulter, who had issues transporting his poles from Los Angeles to Czech Republic.
Equipment derailment
Obiena left Los Angeles for Rome last May 19 without his poles, as air cargo for his flight was at full capacity. As such, he had to book a separate ticket for his poles which eventually arrived last May 26 - just two days before the Ostrava Golden Spike.
Once his poles arrived in Czech Republic, however, they then got lost in the airport and were only located after several hours.
“Frustrating to say the least and very pissed at the whole debacle,” said Obiena on his Facebook page. “Taking what positive I can take on this whole situation and thankfully, it seems like I am in one piece.”
Despite the breaking of his pole in this competition, Obiena will still compete in the Oslo Bislett Games in Norway on Thursday.
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