THOMASIAN POLE vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena capped off the 26th Asian Athletics Championships on a high note, securing a third straight gold at the Gumi Civic Stadium in South Korea on Saturday, May 31.
The two-time Olympian bested his training partner Huang Bokai of China, clearing 5.77 meters in a single attempt.
“Three-peat Asian Champion!!!,” the 29-year-old Obiena shared in a social media post.
Going toe-to-toe for the win, Obiena and Bokai easily cleared the 5.72-m mark, but both exhausted their three attempts to hurdle 5.82m.
The bar was then brought back down to 5.77m, which Obiena cleared in one try to rule the 15-man field.
Bokai settled for silver, while Thailand’s Patsapong Amsamarng closed out the podium with a personal best of 5.67m.
Filipino athlete Hokett de los Santos also participated in the event and finished in the 13th spot with a 4.97m clearance.
With the victory, Obiena now has four medals in the Asian tilt, having won gold in 2023 and 2019 and a bronze in 2017. F
