EJ OBIENA made it to the men’s pole vault finals of the 2022 World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon on Friday (Saturday Manila time).
Obiena placed sixth in the qualification after clearing 5.75 meters. By virtue of making it to the top 12, the Filipino pole vaulter will compete in the final on Sunday.
See EJ Obiena repeats as champion in Jump and Fly meet in Germany
Obiena is the only Asian in the final, as he will compete against Christopher Nilsen of the US, Olympic champion Armand Duplantis of Sweden, Oleg Zernikel of Germany, Thiago Braz of Brazil, and Ben Broeders of Belguim.
Also in the final are Ersu Sasma of Turkey, Renuad Lavillenie of France, Pal Haugen Lillefosse of Norway, Bo Kanda Lita Baehre of Germany, Sondre Guttormsen of Norway, and Menno Vloon of Netherlands.
Obiena’s performance is a marked improvement from the 2019 competition where he placed 15th in the qualifiers.
The 26-year-old Obiena is aiming to become the first Filipino athlete to capture a medal in the World Athletics Championships.
EJ Obiena gets a shot at a medal.
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