EJ Obiena secured another podium finish and, more importantly, another gold with a 5.80-meter clear after taking the 2021 Taby Stav Gala Street Pole Vault title in Stockholm, Sweden, Saturday morning (Manila time).
This is the 25-year-old’s fifth straight podium finish in all his five competitions in a month, and he has cleared 5.80 or higher for the past four including his record-breaking 5.87 jump in Bydgoszcz just last week.
Obiena got to clear the said height just on one attempt, along with reigning Olympic champion Thiago Braz of Brazil but got to take the gold on countback.
The Filipino only attempted two heights, with the other being at 5.60, and cleared both on a single try. Braz, on the other hand, needed to clear 5.50 on the second attempt, before improving on a 5.70 later in the round.
Andrew Irwin of the United States also registered 5.80 meters but had to clear it on the third and final attempt, pushing him to the bronze medal finish.
Obiena is set to compete in the Stockholm leg of the 2021 Wanda Diamond League on Sunday, July 4, at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium. World record holder and hometown hero Armand Duplantis will be among the Filipino’s competitors.
