THOMASIAN pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena notched the first gold medal of the Philippines in the 19th Asian Games men’s pole vaulting at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in China on Saturday, Sept. 30.
Obiena cleared the 5.75-meter bar in two attempts, breaking the Asian Games record of 5.70 meters by Japan’s Seito Yamamoto.
With Obiena already securing the gold-medal finish after the 5.75-meter clearance, he went further and eclipsed 5.90 meters right away to set his own Asian Games record.
China’s Bokai Huang finished second via countback, while Saudi Arabia’s Hussain al Hizam settled for bronze after both cleared 5.65 meters.
Obiena attempted to break his personal best and the Asian record of 6.00 meters by raising the bar to 6.02 meters, but he missed his three attempts.
The world No. 2 pole vaulter remains the only Asian to vault the 6.00-meter mark successfully.
The Philippines now has one gold, one silver, and six bronze medals in the Asian Games. The continental multisports event will conclude on Oct. 8. Jan Lester E. Quinto
