EJ Obiena reclaimed the spotlight on home soil, delivering a season-best jump at the inaugural Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge held at the Ayala Triangle Gardens on Sunday.
The Filipino pole vault star soared to a 5.80 meters, matching his personal mark for the year and edging France’s Thibaut Collet on a countback to cap off his season with a bang.
The victory marked Obiena’s first triumph in nearly four months, bouncing back from a disappointing outing at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo last week.
With the backing of local supporters braving the rainy weather, Obiena cleared 5.80m on his second attempt, replicating the form that saw him defend his Asian Athletics Championships crown in Gumi, Korea, earlier this year.
(C) Ayala Corporation
Collet, ranked World No. 12, also cleared 5.80m but had to settle for silver after taking three attempts.
Poland’s Piotr Lisek rounded out the podium with a bronze-medal clearance of 5.60m.
The event drew a world-class field, featuring top talents such as world No. 5 Ersu Sasma (Turkey), No. 6 Menno Vloon (Netherlands), No. 13 Ben Broeders (Belgium), No. 14 Austin Miller (USA), No. 16 Oleg Zernikel (Germany), and No. 23 Matt Ludwig (USA).
Filipino vaulter Hokett delos Santos competed after earning a wild card entry, courtesy of his triumph at the National Pole Vault Competition the day before.
EJ Obiena 🇵🇭 clears 5.80m in just 2 attempts and takes the win!
Meanwhile, Thibaut Collet 🇫🇷 also cleared 5.80m (3 attempts) but couldn’t make 5.85m.
Victory went to EJ with fewer attempts! 🏃♂️
📹 Pam Puri/Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/jLvk6rm9EG
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 21, 2025
