AFTER FALLING to seventh place in his previous outing, Thomasian pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena bounced back with a gold-clinching performance at the Orlen Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland on Monday, Feb. 17 (Manila time).
The two-time Olympian took flight with a season-best clearance of 5.80 meters to win his second gold of the year, eclipsing his 5.70m at the Meeting Metz Moselle Athlelor in France a week before.
“Still chasing…..” Obiena said in a social media post.
“Good day in Torun with a new [season best] of 5.80m and a win.”
Hometown star Piotr Lisek finished with a silver medal via countback after completing 5.70m. Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen followed suit, clearing 5.70m to grab bronze.
The 29-year-old Obiena started hot in the 11-man field, easily going over the 5.50m and 5.70m bars with one attempt each.
However, it took Obiena three attempts to clear 5.80 meters. He then attempted to complete the 5.85m mark but was unsuccessful.
With this victory, Obiena picked up his third medal of the new indoor season after marking his return to competition with a silver-medal finish at the International Jump Meeting Cottbus in Germany. F
