EJ Obiena sets new Asian Athletics Championship record, defends men's pole vault gold

EJ Obiena once again dominated the Asian Athletics Championships. From his Facebook account

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--EJ Obiena stays as the champion of the Asian Athletics Championships men's pole vault event after resetting his old record on Sunday in Bangkok.

Obiena shattered the 5.71-meter jump he set in Doha in 2019 with a 5.91-meter leap as his decision to skip a leg of the Wanda Diamond League turned out to be a great move.

The first Asian pole vaulter to breach the six-meter mark tried his luck at resetting the overall Asian record by going for 6.02 meters, but he failed to clear the said height.

Nevertheless, Obiena gave the Philippines its second gold in the Asian Athletics Championships, overwhelming Saudi Arabia's Asim Alhizam Hussain and China's Huang Bokai.

Hussain took the silver after clearing 5.56 meters, while Huang took the bronze after reaching 5.51.

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