World no. 7 EJ Obiena returned after a two-month layoff to secure a podium finish at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Beijing, China.
EJ Obiena launched his packed September schedule with a bronze medal finish at the World Athletics Continental Tour in Beijing, China.
The Philippines’ top pole vaulter cleared 5.65 meters to land on the podium behind eventual champion Zhong Tao of China and runner-up Cole Walsh of the United States.
Both Zhong and Walsh hurdled past the 5.75-meter mark, but the Chinese leaper ruled the event via countback or the fewest misses.
The result marked the 29-year-old Filipino's first competition in two months. Obiena last competed at the Meeting Madrid in July and secured silver with a 5.80-meter effort.
For Obiena, Beijing served as a valuable tune-up ahead of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
The qualification phase opens on Saturday, September 13, with the medal rounds scheduled two days later.
Last year, the two-time SEA Games gold medalist missed the tournament after a spine injury cut his season short.
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Obiena bagged silver in the 2023 edition in Budapest, Hungary, and claimed bronze a year earlier in Eugene, Oregon.
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He will conclude the month by participating in the Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge, slated for September 20-21 at the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati.
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It will mark Obiena’s first competition before a home crowd since his 2019 Southeast Asian Games triumph.