By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
EJ Obiena is hot – very hot.
The pole vault ace captured his second gold medal in four indoor tournaments so far after ruling the Orlen Cup 2023 in Lodz, Poland Saturday, Feb. 4 (Monday in Manila).
The world No. 3 Obiena cleared 5.77 meters to dominate the 11-player field that lured some of his fellow 2020 Tokyo Olympians.
Two-time world champion Sam Kendricks of the United States bagged the silver while hometown bet Piotr Lisek clinched the bronze via countback after the two veterans posted identical 5.70m with Italy’s Claudio Michel Stecchi.
It was also Obiena’s fourth podium finish this season and was coming off a bronze-medal finish in the prestigious Mondo Classic 2023 in Uppsala, Sweden a few days back.
His recent feat, though, was far from his national indoor record of 5.91m he matched in the said Swedish meet.
Still, Obiena was happy with his performance.
“It was a difficult battle, physically and mentally,” the 27-year-old posted on social media.
Up next for Obiena is the Orlen Copernicus Cup on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at the Torun Arena Sports Hall in Torun, Poland.
