EJ Obiena formalizes spot for Paris Olympics, puts up a decent showing in Sweden tilt

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

EJ Obiena is back on the Olympic stage.

Filipino pole vaulting superstar Obiena just booked his second-straight ticket to the Olympics after a stellar showing during the Bauhaus-Galan meet of the 2023 Wanda Diamond League leg last July 3, 2023, held in Sweden.

The Wanda Diamond League leg served as the qualifier for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics set to kick off from July 26-August 11, 2024.

Obiena needed to surpass the world qualification standard of 5.82 meters to book a flight to Paris which he did in style after comfortably leaping over the desired height.

Home town bet Armand Duplantis once again dominated the international pole vaulting scene after reigning supreme in the competition while also making his way to the Paris Olympics.

After Obiena leaped over the qualification standard height, he decided to skip the 5.90-m and went for 5.95-m to shatter the record he put up a week ago.

However, Obiena failed all of his three attempts during his 5.95-m run and settled for a final tournament score of 5.82-m.

Aside from his Olympic qualification, Obiena’s second-place finish in Sweden also helped him keep his podium streak alive in nearly two months.

Obiena duplicated his bronze medal finish in Norway during the Olso Bislett Games last June 16, 2023, after leaping past the 5.90-meter height for Czech Republic.

One week ago, Obiena reset his previous Asian and national record during the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway while also taking home the gold medal.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympian finally overcame the challenge of cruising past the six-meter barrier and has been longing to surpass his 5.94-meter record for over a year now which he did in style after only needing one attempt to make history.