THREE UST Tiger Tracksters delivered podium finishes in the Atletang Ayala National Pole Vault Challenge on Saturday, Sept. 20, at Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati.
UAAP pole vault champion Hokett delos Santos led the charge, clearing 5.0 meters to capture gold in his first-ever street pole vault meet.
He later attempted to surpass his personal best of 5.15 meters but fell short in a lone bid at the 5.20m bar and passed on his remaining two jumps.
The victory earned him a slot in the international leg set for Sept. 21, where he will compete against nine elite vaulters, including Thomasian alumnus EJ Obiena, world No. 5 Ersu Sasma of Turkey and No. 6 Menno Vloon of the Netherlands.
Also in the stacked field are world-ranked athletes Thibault Collet of France (No. 12), Piotr Lisek of Poland (No. 15), Oleg Zernikel of Germany (No. 16), Belgium’s Ben Broeders (No. 13) and Americans Austin Miller and Matt Ludwig.
Delos Santos, a Southeast Asian Games silver medalist, trains under Emerson Obiena, father and coach of the two-time Olympian.
In the same division, fellow Thomasian Mejen Sumbongan secured bronze with a 4.45m clearance, while Jessa Marie Libres rounded out UST’s medal haul with a 3.40m clearance to claim bronze in the women’s competition.
The competition was organized by Obiena and is sanctioned by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association, Asian Athletics and World Athletics. It serves as both a national stage for rising Filipino vaulters and a preview of world-class action. F
