DESPITE a shaky start, Thomasian pole vaulter EJ Obiena secured a spot in the men’s pole vault finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics by making it into the top 12 during the elimination round at Stade De France on Saturday, Aug. 3 (Manila time).
Obiena finished sixth in Group A, which produced 10 qualifiers for the finals, while Group B had only two qualifiers.
Obiena’s chances seemed to wane after failing his first two attempts at 5.60 meters after skipping 5.40 meters.
Opting to pass on his final attempt at 5.60 meters, Obiena regained his form and surpassed 5.70 meters, advancing to the next height and keeping his redemption hopes alive.
Obiena, who finished 11th in the Tokyo Olympics, then cleared 5.75 meters to secure a spot in the finals, as five athletes in Group A were eliminated.
The pole vaulters did not need to attempt the 5.80-meter bar, as the tournament saw eliminations after 5.75 meters, leaving only the top 12.
Defending Olympic champion and World No. 1 Armand Duplantis (Sweden), Sondre Guttormsen (Norway), Emmanouil Karalis (Greece), Erasure Sasma (Turkey), and Oleg Zernikel (Germany) all tied for first place through the qualifiers after clearing 5.75 meters on their first attempts.
Dutch vaulter Menno Vloon cleared the height on his first try to place sixth, with Obiena placing seventh.
World No. 3 Sam Kendricks of the USA dislodged the bar on his first attempt but cleared it on his second, while China’s Bokai Huang finished eighth.
Germany’s Bo Kanda Lita Baehre cleared 5.75 meters on his final attempt, placing 10th.
Australia’s Kurtis Marschall and Latvia’s Valter Kreiss were the two vaulters who cleared 5.70 meters, completing the list of qualifiers.
Obiena will aim to break the country’s 88-year medal drought in athletics in the final round scheduled for Aug. 6 at 1 a.m. (Manila time), with the formidable Duplantis as his main rival.
