FILIPINO POLE vault star EJ Obiena dominated his first outdoor contest this year, overcoming the thick fog that engulfed the Taiwan International Pole Vault Championship.
Asia’s best pole vaulter cleared 5.50 meters to top the 25-man field despite the challenging visibility at Sun Moon Lake in Nantou, Taiwan, on Monday, March 31.
“Talk about the proverbial ‘leap of faith’! Well, I decided to go for it and place my leap of faith in God’s hand,” Obiena shared on social media.
The two-time Olympian struggled with reduced visibility as he missed his first two attempts at 5.50m. Obiena, however, delivered on his third try to clinch his third gold medal this season.
“We can’t always have sunny skies and perfect weather conditions. We have to persevere through all kinds of adversity,” he said.
“This was a new kind of adversity and I learned from it!,” he added.
American pole vaulter Matt Ludwig settled for silver with a 5.30m-mark clearance.
Several other Filipinos also competed in Taiwan, including UAAP Season 87 men’s pole vault champion Hokett Delos Santos and boys’ pole vault champion Francis Allen Sillar, who cleared 5.15m and 3.91m, respectively.
In the women’s division, Ma. Khrizzie Clarisse Ruzol and Jessa Marie Libres both recorded 3.40m.
Obiena opted to skip the World Athletics Indoor Championship last month to prioritize his health for the outdoor season. F – Mc Neil Zyh Serrano
