Manila, Philippines, September 12, 2021: Tokyo Olympian Ernest “EJ” Obiena set a new Asian record in the men’s pole vault at the 17th International Golden Roof Challenge in Innsbruck, Austria, on Saturday, September 11.
The 25-year-old Filipino cleared 5.93 metres to win the gold medal – and beat the previous Asian record of 5.92 metres set by Igor Potapovich of Kazakhstan in 1998.
The record-breaking performance continues the successful streak for Obiena following a disappointing 11th place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
Since then, he has gone on to break the national record with a personal best 5.91 metres and silver medal at the Paris Diamond League, climb to No. 5 in the World Athletics world rankings and finish fourth at the Diamond League Final in Zurich.
Now, the Doha 2019 Asian Championships gold medallist has broken the long-standing Asian record in men’s pole vault and will be a major challenger for gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games next September after finishing seventh in Jakarta three years ago.