THOMASIAN pole vaulter Ernest Obiena rose to No. 2 anew in the Aug. 29 World Athletics men’s pole vault rankings, two days after his silver-medal finish in the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Hungary.
Obiena amassed a total of 1,445 points, surpassing United States’ Christopher Nilsen who tallied 1,438 points. Sweden’s Armand Duplantis, the world record holder and gold medalist in the Hungary tourney, remained the world’s best pole vaulter with 1,543 points.
Obiena first secured the second spot in the rankings on July 18, but his position was short-lived as Nilsen reclaimed the world No. 2 ranking a week later on July 25.
World Athletics bases its rankings on two factors: acquired competition scores and competition placements.
Obiena recently made history after bagging the first silver for the Philippines in the 2023 World Athletics Championships. He duplicated his Asian record of 6.00 meters to secure the finish.
Duplantis and Nilsen finished first and third in the tournament, respectively.
During the qualifier, Obiena cleared 5.55 meters and 5.75 meters in one try to become one of the 13 named finalists.
The former UST trackster will compete in the Asian Games scheduled in September in Hangzhou, China before tailoring his game plan for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
