EJ OBIENA, as expected, clinched a finals seat in the men's pole vault of the 2024 Paris Olympics in Stade de France.
What was not expected was the manner in which he qualified.
Obiena missed two attempts at clearing 5.60m in the early stage of the qualification, sending an entire nation anxious - and the Filipino pole vaulter on the brink of a stunning early exit.
READ: Obiena vows to push on amid 'physical problems' in Paris build-up
But the world No. 2 overcame the pressure and redeemed himself on his first attempt to clear the bar at 5.70m to stay alive in the competition.
Obiena later cleared 5.75m to become the seventh placer among the 12 finalists that also includes heavy favorite Mondo Duplantis of Sweden, who topped the qualifiers.
The final is scheduled on Aug. 6, 1 a.m. (Philippine time).
Had Obiena missed the bar again at 5.70 meters, it would have been a disastrous finish for the Filipino pole vaulter, one of brightest hopes of the country to win a medal in this Olympics. In Tokyo, Obiena made it to the final and placed 10th.
Obiena’s struggles to hit the mark early in the qualification round left questions about his health as he is reportedly battling back problems in the months leading up to the final.
But the injury seemed to have no effect after he cleared 5.70 as he hit the mark on his next two vaults with relative ease.
On record, Duplantis, Sondre Guttormsen of Norway, Emmanouil Karalis of Greece, Ersu Sasma of Turkey, and Oleg Zernikel of Germany finished in a tie for first in the qualifiers with similar 5.75 marks.
Also in the final are Sam Kendricks of United States, Bokai Huang of China, Bo Kanda Lita Baehere of Germany, Valters Kreiss of Latvia, and Kurtis Marschall of Australia.
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