EJ Obiena Finishes Seventh at Xiamen Diamond League

Filipino Olympian EJ Obiena finished seventh in the men’s pole vault competition at the Xiamen leg of the 2025 Diamond League held Saturday at the Xiamen Egret Stadium in China.

Obiena, 29, cleared 5.62 meters on his second attempt but failed to surpass the 5.72-meter mark after three tries.

The two-time Olympian tied with Australia’s Kurtis Marschall and the United States’ Sam Kendricks in terms of cleared height but was ranked seventh via countback.

World No. 1 Armand “Mondo” Duplantis of Sweden claimed the title after successfully vaulting 5.92 meters.

Duplantis attempted to clear 6.01 meters but failed after several tries.

Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis and the Netherlands’ Menno Vloon both vaulted 5.82 meters, with Karalis securing second place based on fewer attempts.

Belgian Ben Broeders placed fourth, while Turkey’s Ersu Şaşma finished fifth.

Rounding out the standings were China’s Chenyang Li in ninth place and Bokai Huang in 10th, while Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen did not start (DNS).

Obiena recently returned to competition after a short break in the Philippines, where he attended events and prepared for the outdoor season.

Less than a month ago, Obiena topped the Taiwan International Pole Vault Championship, bringing home the gold medal and building momentum for the Diamond League season.

Despite the setback, Obiena remains focused on improving his performance heading into the second leg of the Diamond League in Shanghai next month.

The Asian Games champion is determined to bounce back and continue his buildup toward the Paris 2024 Olympics, where he is a strong medal contender.

Obiena, who holds the Asian record at 6.00 meters, is currently ranked No. 4 in the world and remains one of the Philippines’ brightest hopes in international athletics.

The Xiamen meet served as the opening leg of the Diamond League series, considered the world’s premier annual track and field competition.

Athletes compete not only for rankings but also for prize money, with winners in each event pocketing up to ₱284,000 (approximately $5,000) per leg.

Obiena has consistently performed well on the international circuit, winning medals at the World Athletics Championships, Asian Championships, and the Asian Games.

His next appearance in Shanghai will offer another chance to fine-tune his form ahead of the crucial summer competitions.