EJ Obiena back to golden ways with victory in Germany

EFFORT. The Philippines' Ernest John Obiena in action during the men's pole vault final of the 2026 Weltklasse Zurich in Switzerland.

Denis Balibouse/REUTERS

EJ Obiena claims his ninth gold medal of the year by ruling the ISTAF Berlin in Germany

MANILA, Philippines – Another vault, another gold.

EJ Obiena claimed his ninth gold medal of the year after ruling the ISTAF Berlin at the Olympiastadion in Germany on Sunday, August 30 (Monday, August 31, Manila time).

The Filipino pole vault star cleared 5.82 meters in a single attempt as he rediscovered his winning ways after failing to crack the podium in his last three meets. 

Belgium’s Ylio Philtjens placed second with 5.72m, beating France’s Robin Emig for the silver via countback. 

With the gold already in the bag, Obiena tried to eclipse his season best of 5.91m he achieved when he topped the Golden Sand in Poland earlier this August by going for 5.97m but to no avail as he exhausted all of his three tries. 

Obiena’s recent form has allowed him to climb to No. 12 in the world rankings — two spots above his No. 14 standing in June. 

Enjoying a career resurgence, the former world No. 2 is tagged as one of the Philippines’ best bets in the Asian Games, where he is expected to defend the title he won in the 2023 edition in Hangzhou, China.

The upcoming Asian Games will be held in Nagoya, Japan, from September 19 to October 4. – Rappler.com