FILIPINO POLE vaulter EJ Obiena was on a mission to reach greater heights during his season that started in February this year.
And what a season it was.
After Obiena figured in a rift with his mother federation, he went back to his winning ways, and even broke records for the Philippines.
Looking back to what has been an eventful season for Obiena, Spin.ph lists the highlights of the Filipino pole vault sensation who made a mark in Europe this year.
The Filipino pole vaulter ended the season with a haul of 17 medals: 12 gold medals including his win against Duplantis, two silver medals, and three bronze medals. For the meantime, Obiena is back in the Philippines, taking a break before going back to Europe for his training. He will be staying in the country for two weeks.
Orlen Cup 2022
After struggling to clear the 5.80-meter bar in his first two competitions of the season, Obiena finally earned his first gold of the season in Łódź, Poland last February 11, 2022.
He cleared 5.81 meters in one go to take home the top prize. Brazilian pole vaulter Thiago Braz of Brazil, who was the gold medalist in the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil, placed second, while Piotr Lisek of Poland settled for third place.
2022 Orlen Copernicus Cup
Last February 22, 2022, the Thomasian pole vaulter tied his season best at 5.81 meters, the same height he cleared in the Orlen Cup 2022, to bring home another gold medal.
This time, Obiena cleared the bar at 5.81 meters in three attempts. Ben Broeders of Belgium settled for second place, while Braz came in third after both pole vaulters cleared 5.71 meters.
Amidst the controversy involving Patafa and Obiena, the pole vaulter was already awaiting a nod from the Federation for Obiena to play in the 2022 Hanoi SEA Games.
Perche Elite Tour
Obiena leaped to greater heights, eclipsing his season’s best and resetting a new indoor record in pole vault in Rouen, France last March 5, 2022.
He registered 5.91 meters to eclipse his record at 5.86 meters.
Despite a new record, Obiena placed second in the competition while 2021 Tokyo silver medalist Christopher Nilsen of the United States ruled the competition, clearing 6.01 meters on his second attempt.
In the competition, Obiena wore a baller with Ukraine’s colors during the tournament dedicating his game to the people of Ukraine which was facing a war against Russia.
It was a gesture of support for his pole vault coach, Vitaly Petrov, who is also a Ukrainian national.
2022 IAAF World Indoor Championships
In Obiena's home country, the feud between the pole vaulter and his federation still raged.
Patafa blocked the bid of Obiena to compete in Belgrade, Serbia... which perhaps could have resulted in another medal for the 26-year-old pole vaulter,
Obiena released a statement on his social media accounts, saying, “We had a chance to show the world our greatness. And we lost it.”
On March 30, Obiena and Patafa buried the hatchet, and the four-month row came to an end after the two parties came to a settlement.
Obiena’s mother federation vowed to endorse the former UST trackster to compete in the 2022 SEA Games in Hanoi Vietnam and in the 2022 World Athletics Meet in Oregon, USA.
2022 Southeast Asian Games
It was no surprise that Obiena would clinch gold in Hanoi, Vietnam. After all, he is the current Asian record holder.
Last May 14, Obiena easily cleared 5.46 meters for the gold, resetting his old 5.45 meter record in pole vault in the biennial regional tournament. (That old record, of course, was set in home soil in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.)
Adding to the medal haul in pole vault was Filipino pole vaulter Hockett de los Santos, who snagged silver in the competition, while Iskandar Bin Alwi of Malaysia achieved bronze.
European City of Sports event
Last May 30, Obiena saw action in L’Aquila, Italy two weeks after clinching gold in the 2022 SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Obiena cleared 5.86 meters to rule the competition. In a social media post, Obiena described the track as a “beautiful venue jumping in front of Basilica di Santa Maria di Collemaggio.”
Taby Stavhoppsgala
Despite testing positive for Covid-19 (missing two tournaments in Olso, Norway and Meeting de Paris last June), Obiena bagged home the top prize in Sweden last June 26.
The Filipino Olympian cleared 5.92 meters... only 0.1 meters shyof his personal best and Asian record at that time.
Braz placed second in the tournament after clearing 5.82 meters, while Simen Guttormsen of Norway took home the bronze medal.
Jump and Fly Series
The German tilt was ruled by Obiena last July 3 after clearing 5.80 meters in three attempts.
Huang Bokai of China settled for silver after clearing 5.50 meters, while German pole vaulter Vincent Hobbie jumped 5.10 meters for the bronze medal.
World Athletics Championships 2022
Last July 24, the Filipino pole vaulter made history anew after setting a new Asian Record in Oregon, USA.
Obiena cleared 5.94 meters in three attempts to secure the bronze medal, making him the first Filipino athlete to finish on a podium in one of the most prestigious athletics meets in the world.
He, along with 12 pole vaulters, qualified for the men’s pole vault finals of the competition after clearing 5.75 meters in only two attempts.
Top ranking pole vaulter and world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden also broke his personal best and the world record. He took home the gold medal after being the lone pole vaulter to clear 6.0 meters.
Duplantis also broke the meet record by clearing 6.06 meters, and was given a chance to reset the world record and requested to set the bar at 6.21 meters. He cleared the height on his second attempt for a new world record.
American pole vaulter Nilsen took silver in the competition.
A few days after winning his historic gold medal in Oregon, Obiena moved up the rankings in the World Athletics from fifth to thurd.
In a moving gesture, he said that he would turn over the cash incentives given to him by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to Filipina “Sprint Queen” Lydia de Vega. Unfortunately, she passed away a few weeks later.
Silesia Diamond League
Just two weeks after a record-setting performance in Oregon, Obiena took home another bronze medal in Poland last August 5.
He registered 5.73 meters in two attempts for the bronze medal after failing to clear the 5.83-meter bar.
Perennial rival Duplantis won the tournament after clearing 6.10 meters, a new meet record for the tournament, while Guttormsen was in second place after clearing 5.73 meters in one attempt.
EJ Obiena is reinstated in the PH training pool
Four months after the controversy involving Patafa and the Filipino pole vaulter, Obiena was officially reinstated in the Philippine Training Pool of the national sports association.
A majority of votes from Patafa gave the thumbs up to restore Obiena in the training pool, along with five other athletes.
The decision was actually made to Obiena’s historic performance in the Worlds in July.
26th Internationales Stabhochsprung-Meeting
As part of his seven-leg season-ender, Obiena competed in Jockgrim, Germany, topping the tournament last August 23.
Obiena cleared 5.81 meters in one attempt, while Nilsen and Kurtis Marshall of Australia placed second and third, respectively, after both pole vaulters cleared 5.71 meters.
The gold medal for Obiena also meant a qualification spot for the World Championships next year in Hungary, as the Pinoy pole vault superstar cleared the requisit 5.81 meters.
Athletissima
In the second part of his seven-leg tournament, Obiena clinched the bronze in the tournament last August 25 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Obiena cleared 5.80 meters in two attempts to place third. Nilsen of USA cleared the same height as Obiena but in one go for the silver, and Duplantis tops the tournament after clearing 6.10 meters, again, setting a new meet record.
True Athletes Classics
Heading to Germany, Obiena snagged gold to top the German tilt.
He won via countback after clearing 5.81 meters in two attempts to secure the top spot.
Dutch pole vaulter Rotger Koppelaar placed second in the competition, while Marshall of Australia placed third after the two cleared 5.81 meters in two attempts.
St. Wendel City Jump
Still staying to compete in Germany, Obiena won his third gold in eight days last August 31.
He finished first after clearing 5.86 meters, eclipsing the tournament’s previous record at 5.71 meters set last year. Menno Vloon of The Netherlands bagged the silver medal in the competition while 20-year-old French pole vaulter Anthony Ammirati, who broke the U20 French pole vault record, placed third.
Memorial van Damme
In this leg of his competition, Obiena upset world no. 1 Duplantis after taking home his first gold in the tournament as part of the Wanda Diamond League Athletics last September 2 in Brussels, Belgium.
Obiena cleared 5.91 meters in three attempts to overtake the world champion from Sweden. Duplantis settled for his first silver of the season after clearing 5.81 meters, while USA’s Nilsen placed third after clearing 5.71 meters.
ISTAF Berlin
Back in Germany, Obiena’s gold streak was snapped after landing in second place.
Obiena placed second via countback after clearing 5.81 meters in two attempts. This time, it was Vloon who ruled the competition after clearing 5.88 meters in one attempt.
Aussie pole vaulter Marshall placed third in the competition after clearing 5.81 meters on his third attempt.
Golden Fly Series
In his penultimate stop before the end of the season, Obiena topped the Liechtenstein tilt last September 11. He was the only top-ranking pole vaulter in the tournament.
He captured gold after clearing 5.71 meters in two attempts while American pole vaulter Olen Oates finished second after clearing 5.61 meters while Austria’s Riccardo Klotz finished third clearing 5.51 meters.
Galà dei Castelli
Obiena was not done just yet!
Just a day after competing in the Golden Fly Series in Liechtenstein, Obiena earned his back-to-back gold to cap his season in Bellinzona, Switzerland last September 13.
Obiena leaped to 5.81 meters in two attempts to secure the gold medal in the tournament, and as a bonus to his season-ender, the Filipino pole vaulter also eclipsed the meet record, previously 5.70 meters.
The record broken by Obiena took 23 years in the making and was last set by German pole vaulter Tim Lobinger in 1999.
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