By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
EJ Obiena bolstered his bid for a slot in the 2024 Paris Olympics after bettering his national and Asian record in the Sparebanken Vest Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway Saturday, June 10.
The world No. 3 pole vaulter cleared 6.00m right on his first attempt to capture the gold medal, beating Americans KC Lightfoot and two-time world champion Sam Kendricks, who settled for silver and bronze, respectively.
Obiena and Lightfoot actually registered the same height but the 27-year-old Tondo native clinched the gold via the countback.
Kendricks, for his part, finished third with 5.88m.
The feat eclipsed his national and Asian mark of 5.94m in 2022 where he clinched the historic bronze medal in the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
He also became the 28th pole vaulter to clear at least 6.00m, joining the elite cast composed of world record holder and reigning Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis of Sweden (6.22m), Hall of Famer Sergey Bubka (6.15m), 2016 Rio Olympics gold medalist Thiago Braz of Brazil (6.03m), Lightfoot (6.07m) and Kendricks (6.06m).
This was the second outdoor tournament for Obiena since winning the gold medal, also in record-breaking fashion, at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia last month where he made 5.65m.
He was coming off a bronze-medal finish at the 5th Irena Szewinska Memorial in Poland, where he posted 5.72m.
Obiena is gearing up to earn another shot at the Olympics when the qualification period starts on July 1. The standard to make it to the Paris Games is 5.82m.
Up next for Obiena will be the Bislette Games on June 15 also in Norway.
