‘GOLDEN LEAP’: Obiena bags second straight Asian Games gold

EJ Obiena has already made it a habit.

While some athletes lose their hunger after sitting at the top for so long, Obiena showed a different mindset as he remained the king of the Asian Games men’s pole vault, claiming the gold medal for the second straight time on Sept. 29, 2026, at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Japan.

What made the victory sweeter was Obiena’s successful bid to reset his own record, surpassing the 5.90-meter clearance he made at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games with a 5.91-meter winning leap that put the icing on the cake in his quest to retain his title.

Just like his performance in China, Obiena dominated the 12-man field, displaying his international experience and composure against competitors from seven other delegations.

Obiena kicked off the tournament by skipping the three initial lower heights to conserve energy and formally began his campaign at 5.50 meters.

As expected, the Filipino pole vault star successfully cleared the height on his first attempt with ease before deciding to jump to 5.60 meters.

He easily cleared the second height, delivered another flawless run at 5.70 meters and braced himself for 5.75 meters.

The next series of events was reminiscent of Obiena’s Southeast Asian Games victory last year, when he was pushed by Thailand’s Amsamarng Patsapong.

Challenging Obiena until the end was China’s Li Chenyang, who courageously skipped 5.75 meters after clearing 5.70 meters.

In an attempt to put pressure on the reigning champion, Li decided to go for 5.80 meters after Obiena became the only pole vaulter to clear 5.75 meters.

A thrilling moment came after Obiena missed his first two attempts at 5.80 meters, giving Li a window of opportunity to strike back and achieve the unthinkable.

However, Li’s brave attempt didn’t go as planned after he exhausted all of his remaining attempts, handing the gold to Obiena with 5.75 meters as the winning height.

Obiena didn’t settle and then went for a historic leap, raising the bar 11 centimeters higher to complete the 5.91-meter clearance for a new Asian Games record.

“As athletes, we live in these moments,” Obiena posted on his official Facebook page after winning gold.

“Moments that makes us overthink, stresses us, adrenaline pumping pressure on our backs and sometimes, just sometimes pure joy. I take these moments as a blessing. This is what keeps me going back for more. Para sa Bayan.”

And still the king of Asia’s pole vault! EJ Obiena! Mabuhay ka!