Thomasian pole vaulter EJ Obiena punched his ticket to the 2027 World Athletics Championships after finishing fifth at the Weltklasse meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, on Friday, Aug. 28 (Philippine time).
Obiena cleared 5.90 meters before coming up short on all three attempts at 6 meters.
The Olympic athlete’s 5.90-meter clearance marked his second-best mark of the season, behind his season-best 5.91 meters set at the 2026 Golden Sand in Międzyzdroje, Poland, last week.
His fifth-place finish earned him qualification to the 2027 World Athletics Championships, which will be held in Beijing, China, from Sept. 11 to 19, 2027.
Sweden’s Armand Duplantis claimed the gold with a new meet record of 6.25 meters, while Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis took silver with a career-best 6.20 meters and Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen settled for bronze after clearing 6.00 meters.
Obiena will compete next at the Wanda Diamond League in Brussels, Belgium, on Sept. 4-5. Allanee Raye C. Valeriano
