By MARK REY MONTEJO
Two-time Olympian EJ Obiena fell short once more for a podium finish after the reigning Asian Games champion settled for seventh place in the Silesia leg of the 2026 Diamond League in Poland Sunday, Aug. 23.
Coming off a 5.81-meter effort in Lausanne, Switzerland four days ago, the 30-year-old Obiena started ominously. He stumbled on his first attempt at 5.50 meters but eventually cleared the height, as well as the 5.65m and 5.80m marks.
However, he failed to carry that momentum into his succeeding attempts at 5.90 and 6.00 meters, settling for seventh place in the elite 10-man field.
“A lil 5.80m here in [Poland]. [Para sa bayan],” Obiena wrote on his social media post.
Just last week, Obiena achieved the 5.90-meter clearance to win his third consecutive gold in his European quest, while posting 5.81 meters a few days later on Swiss soil
These were part of the Tondo, Manila native’s buildup for his title defense in the forthcoming 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya in Japan next month.
Armand Duplantis of Sweden ruled the event again – just a centimeter short of trying the meet’s record – which he recorded last Friday – off 6.20 meters. He also tried the 6.32-meter mark but failed anew.
Norwegian Sondre Guttormsen (6.00) and Greek Emmanouil Karalis (6.00) finished second and third, respectively.
Obiena and company will gun for a much-improved performance in the remaining legs in Zurich, Switzerland, later this August as they seek to bolster their bids for final spots in Brussels, Belgium, in the first week of September.
