EJ OBIENA went down to No. 3 in the men’s pole vault in the latest World Athletics rankings released after the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Obiena slipped one spot as Sam Kendricks of the United States moved one notch higher following his silver medal in Paris.
To no one’s surprise, Armand Duplantis of Sweden remained at No. 1 in the world not just in men’s pole vault but also in the men’s overall ranking.
Olympic bronze medalist Emmanouil Karalis of Greece made a big jump from No. 8 to No. 4 after his bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, in the process denying Obiena a podium finish.
Obiena narrowly missed the bronze after he failed to clear 5.95 meters. He and Karalis were tied at 5.90 but Obiena lost the medal via countback.
After a brief stop in Manila to attend to the post-Olympic festivities, Obiena is on his way back to Italy to resume training in preparation for his competitions from the remainder of the season with the intention of maintaining his world ranking.
Before returning to Italy, Obiena received P1 million from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., P1 million from the Angelo King Foundation, Filipino Chinese Amateur Athletic Federation, and Chiang Kai Shek College Board of Trustees, and P500,000 from the local government of Manila.
Obiena indicated that he will be limiting his competitions to the major events as he has been dealing with a spine injury over the last few months in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics.
Obiena added he intends to address his spine issues now that the Olympics is over.
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