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| EJ Obiena barely missed out on a podium finish in the Netherlands if not for the countback. |
MANILA—Filipino pole vault ace and world No. 4 Ernest John “EJ” Obiena kicked off his European tour with a fifth-place finish at the FBK Games held in Hengelo, Netherlands on Tuesday (Manila time).
Obiena cleared 5.66 meters, equaling the marks of USA’s Daniel Keaton and China’s Zhong Tao.
However, with Obiena needing two attempts to clear the height while both Keaton and Tao made it on their first, the Filipino had to settle for fifth via countback.
The United States completed a podium sweep, with Christopher Nilsen securing the gold with a leap of 5.82 meters.
KC Lightfoot took silver after clearing 5.74 meters, while Keaton and Zhong tied for bronze at 5.66 meters.
This event marked Obiena’s first competition since his successful title defense at the Asian Championships last week.
In that meet, Obiena needed a jump-off against China’s Bokai Huang after both cleared 5.72 meters.
The 30-year-old Filipino soared past 5.77 meters on his first try, while Huang failed to match the mark.
Obiena now holds three Asian Championships titles, winning in 2019 (Dubai) and in 2023 (Bangkok).
The FBK Games, which featured nine of the world’s best vaulters, is part of the build-up to the 2025 World Athletics Championships.
That global event is set to take place from Sept. 13-21 in Tokyo, Japan.
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