By Kristel Satumbaga
Pole vaulter EJ Obiena settled for the bronze medal for the second straight time but it glittered like a gold this time considering the toughness of the field in the Rome Diamond League in Italy on Thursday.
He cleared the 5.80-meter distance to finish third behind Belgium’s Ben Broeders and world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden.
In a bid to shatter his own PH mark of 5.81m, Obiena tried 5.85m but failed.
Broeders registered 5.80m on his second attempt for silver while Duplantis captured the gold with a new outdoor world record of 6.15m.
This was Obiena’s sixth podium finish since he started competing last month and second bronze medal in the Diamond League after the same podium finish in Monaco last month.
Former world champion Raphael Holzdeppe of Germany came in fourth with 5.70m.
Up next for Obiena is the Doha Diamond League on Sept. 24.
In topping the event, Duplantis eclipsed Ukrainian legend Sergey Bubka’s 26-year mark of 6.14m set in Italy 26 years ago.
The 20-year-old succeeded on his second attempt in a competition he dominated in perfect warm and windless conditions, but without spectators to celebrate in an empty Stadio Olimpico.
“I think I’m still up in the clouds right now,” said the US-born athlete.
“It’s a surreal, super crazy feeling.”
Duplantis set the world record indoors in February, and had made the outdoor mark his goal with the Olympic Games and European championships postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It was something I really wanted to do, there was a lot of confusion between the indoor and outdoor,” said Duplantis.
“I thought ‘why not just do it?’ be the best outdoor, to clear up the confusion.”
Duplantis had cleared an earlier attempt but hit the bar on the way down.
“It was a kind of mental thing.”
“After that first attempt I knew what I had to do it so just went out and did it,” said Duplantis, who heads to the final Diamond League meet in Doha next week. (With a report from AFP)
