EJ Obiena showcased a master class performance at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, securing victory in the men’s pole vault with an impressive new meet record of 5.91 meters.
The championship took place on Sunday at the Suphachalasai Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
This achievement marks Obiena’s second consecutive title, having previously dominated the event at the 2019 Doha meet with a then-Championships record of 5.71 meters.
Throughout the evening, Obiena displayed near-flawless form, efficiently clearing the heights of 5.51, 5.66, and 5.80 meters on his first attempts. It was only at 5.91 meters that he required two attempts to successfully clear the bar.
Despite his exceptional performance, Obiena aimed for an even higher milestone, attempting a new Asian record of 6.02 meters. However, he missed all three of his attempts at this height.
Taking the silver medal was Saudi Arabia’s Hussain Asim Alhizam with a vault of 5.56 meters. China’s Huang Bokai secured the bronze medal, matching Alhizam’s height of 5.51 meters, but Huang claimed the position based on the count-back rule.
With Obiena’s outstanding victory and Robyn Brown’s gold in the women’s 400 meters hurdles, the Philippines concluded the Championships with two gold medals.
In other events, the Team Philippines quartet composed of Umajesty Williams, Carlo Del Prado, Joyme Sequita, and Frederick Ramirez earned a respectable sixth-place finish in the men’s 4×400 meters relay, stopping the clock at 3:06.47.
Kristina Knott wrapped up her own stint with a fourth-place finish in the women’s 200 meters, achieving a new season’s best of 23.39 seconds.
Meanwhile, Sonny Wagdos secured the 15th place in the men’s 5000 meters with a time of 15:31:57.
