REIGNING ASIAN Games champion and Thomasian sports icon EJ Obiena successfully defended his title after clinching gold in the men’s pole vault final on Sept. 29, Tuesday in Aichi-Nagoya.
The two-time Filipino Olympian ruled the event with a clearance of 5.91 meters, shattering the Asian Games record.
Chinese pole vaulters Jie Yao and Li Chenyang followed with silver and bronze, respectively, after both cleared 5.70 meters.
Obiena cleared 5.70 and 5.75 meters on his first attempt and emerged as the last man standing after both Chinese pole vaulters failed to clear 5.80 meters.
Even after securing gold, he eventually cleared 5.91 meters in his first try to set a new Asian Games record.
With the results, Obiena secured the Philippines’ third gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games. F
