Thomasian pole vaulter EJ Obiena opened his 2026 outdoor season with a silver-medal performance after clearing 5.74 meters at the Flight Circus Düsseldorf in Germany on Sunday.
Obiena cleared 5.74 meters on his second attempt to finish behind American Chris Nilsen, who successfully cleared 5.83 meters on his first try.
Qatar’s Seifeldin Abdelsalam completed the podium with a 5.65-meter clearance after failing all three attempts at 5.74 meters.
Obiena is currently ranked No. 11 in the world. During the recent indoor season, his best performance came at the ISTAF Indoor meet in Berlin, Germany, where he cleared a gold medal-winning 5.78 meters in early March.
Obiena is scheduled to return to action at the Doha Diamond League on June 19.
