By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Pole vaulter EJ Obiena claimed his first outdoor season gold medal after topping the Czeslaw Cybulski Memorial in Poznan, Poland on Monday, June 29.
The two-time Olympian cleared 5.72 meters on his second attempt to capture the title, finishing ahead of the field that included Great Britain’s Owen Heard and Italy’s Matteo Oliveri.
Heard, the 2025 British champion, secured the silver medal on countback after he and Oliveri both cleared 5.60m. The Italian settled for the bronze with his season-best performance.
It was the second podium finish for Obiena this season after clinching the silver in the Flight Circus in Dusseldorf, Germany two weeks ago. He finished eighth and last at the Wanda Diamond League in Doha, Qatar and came close with a fourth-place finish at the FBK Games in Hengelo, Netherlands last week.
Obiena skipped the opening height of 5.25 meters and entered the competition at 5.40m, which he cleared on his first attempt. He then passed 5.50m before needing two tries to clear 5.60m.
The Filipino star also opted to skip 5.67m and went straight to 5.72m, clearing the bar on his second attempt to take control of the competition.
Obiena then raised the bar to 5.82m but failed to clear it in three attempts.
