By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Pole vauter EJ Obiena made it to the podium for the 9th time this year in the World Athletics Continental Tour in Beijing, China over the weekend.
But the bad news?
He was beaten by a Chinese rival in Tao Zhong, who eventually took the gold after edging American Cole Walsh via the countback.
The two-time Olympian Obiena cleared the bar at 5.65 meters, which proved not enough to beat Zhong and Walsh who posted identical 5.75m meters.
It was Obiena’s first tournament since seeing action last July, where he ended with a silver medal in the Meeting Madrid 2025 in Spain with 5.80m.
Though it was a far cry from his season-best 5.80m and personal-best 6.00m that served as a Philippine and Asian record, the podium finish could help Obiena regain his confidence in time for World Athletics Championships slated on Sept. 13 to 21 in Tokyo, Japan.
The men’s pole vault qualifications is set Sept. 13, with the finals scheduled on Sept. 15.
Obiena, 29, hopes to either duplicate or surpass his historic performance in the 2023 edition held in Budapest, Hungary where he claimed the silver medal by posting 6.00m behind world No. 1 and world record-holder Armand Duplantis (6.10m).
Meanwhile, former Asian champion Robyn Brown is joining Obiena in the world championships, marking her second appearance in the tournament where she is set to compete in the women’s 400m hurdles.
The qualification is set on Sept. 15, followed by the semifinals on Sept. 17 and finals on Sept. 19.
