IN his last event before the 20th World Athletics Championships opening in Tokyo, Japan, on Saturday, Ernest John Obiena jumped 5.65 meters to wind up in a tie for third in the World Athletics Tour Continental Tour meet over the weekend at the Beijing National Stadium in Beijing, China.
Vying in his first meet since July 19, when he took a silver medal with a jump of 5.80 meters at the Meeting Madrid 2025 in Estadio Villahermosa in Madrid, Spain, Obiena tied with Chinese training partner Huang Bokai for third.
Hometown bet and 2024 Asian indoor champion Zhong Tao cleared a personal best of 5.75 meters for the gold, relegating American Cole Walsh to the silver on the countback.
A silver medalist in the 2023 edition in Budapest, Hungary, with a PH and Asian record jump of six meters flat, the Pinoy pole vaulter, currently ranked world No. 7, will be among the elite pole vaulters who will see action in the preliminary round on Saturday at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium.
Obiena, 29, will be against a banner field led by phenomenal two-time Swedish Olympic gold medalist Armand Duplantis, who also holds the world mark of 6.29 meters, and Greek world No. 2 Emmanouil Karalis, who holds a national and personal best of 6.08 meters.
The top 12 performers in the preliminaries will advance to the finals on Sept. 15.
