Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena makes it three gold medals in a row at the Asian Athletics Championships, ruling the 2025 edition in Korea.
EJ Obiena made it a trifecta of gold medals at the Asian Athletics Championships, successfully defending his title in men’s pole vault at the 26th Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea on Saturday.
Obiena bested China’s Huang Bokai in a jump off with a best result of 5.77m.
The pair needed to break a tie via the jump off after both pole vaulters failed thrice in clearing 5.82m. Obiena won in sudden death after clearing 5.77m in one attempt.
Bokai was unable to clear in his first attempt, which handed the 29-year-old the victory and the Philippines’ first medal at the Asian Championships this year.
Thailand’s Patsapong Amsamarng finished off the podium with a personal best of 5.67m.
Meanwhile, the Philippines’ other bet Hokett Delos Santos finished 13th among the 15 pole vaulters in the final.
He cleared 4.97m in his best attempt. He was tied with another pole vaulter from Malaysia but was able to overtake him in the classification due to count back.
Obiena thus gets another gold medal to his arsenal. The two-time Olympian is the record holder at the competition with his 5.91m clearance in the same tournament last July 2023, which was then held in Bangkok, Thailand.
Obiena likewise holds the Asian record at 6.0m.