Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand. POC Media/File.MANILA — Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena cleared a season-best 5.81 meters to finish fourth at the Fly Athens tournament held at the Panathenaic Stadium in Greece.
The World No. 14 improved on his previous season-best of 5.78m, which he set at the ISTAF Indoor meet in Berlin, Germany, in March.
Although he narrowly missed the podium on countback, the 30-year-old welcomed the breakthrough after finally clearing the 5.80m mark this season.
“I have not seen you 5.80m bar in awhile. I have missed you,” Obiena wrote in a social media post. “Step in the right direction and onto the next.”
Christopher Nilsen of the United States won the event on countback after clearing 5.91m, while France's Thibaut Collet settled for second.
Obiena was part of a five-way tie at 5.81m with Greece's Emmanouil Karalis, the Netherlands' Menno Vloon, Turkey's Ersu Şaşma, and France's Baptiste Thiery.
Karalis eventually claimed the bronze medal on countback, leaving Obiena just outside the podium.