By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
EJ Obiena showed why he’s the best pole vaulter in Asia as he bettered his own national indoor record in bagging the silver medal in the Perche Elite Tour in Rouen, France late Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
The 26-year-old posted cleared 5.91 meters to finish second behind 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Chris Nilsen of the United States.
The feat was enough to improve his personal indoor best of 5.86 meters which he set in the Orlen Cup in Poland last year.
Obiena attempted 6.01m – a height that could have eclipsed his national and Asian outdoor record of 5.93m – but failed.
Nilsen captured the gold with a personal-best 6.05m.
Brazil’s Thiago Braz, who won gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics and bronze in 2020 Tokyo Games, also posted 5.91m but settled for bronze via countback.
Though it was Obiena’s first silver medal since starting the indoor season in February, it surpassed his winning effort of 5.81m in the Orlen Cup and Orlen Copernicus Cup both in Poland.
Rounding up the finishers in the tournament were United States’ Jacob Wooten (5.81m), local bets Valentin Lavillenie (5.81m), Ethan Cormont (5.71m), Mathieu Collar (5.71m) and Thibaut Collar (5.61m), Netherlands’ Menno Vloon (5.61), and hometown bets Renaud Lavillenie (5.51m) and Kevin Meyer (5.26m).
