If it was already the qualifying season, Ernest John Obiena would have secured a spot in the Paris Olympics. And if it was already the 2024 Games, the Filipino top-notch pole vaulter would have still lost to Swede super-athlete Armand “Mondo” Duplantis.
Through that optics, Obiena once again failed to measure against the gold standard of the sport, losing the gold to Duplantis by a stretch, and the silver to Australia’s Kurtis Marschall by fewer attempts.
But the good news is Obiena looked poised to qualify early for the 2024 Games after finishing third with 5.90 meters at the 62nd Ostrava Golden Spike in the Czech Republic early Wednesday (Manila time).
Olympic qualifying height is just 5.82m.
It took Obiena, 27, two tries to get the 5.90m and the bronze medal in the 10-man tournament which is also a part of the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold.
The pole vaulter from Tondo, Manila, tried to get past 6m again — his personal and Philippine best — but it wasn’t meant to be after failing to do it in three attempts.
With this, Obiena received $2000 or P110,549.00.
The three-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist has already thought about making adjustments because starting the next tournament, every meet is a qualifying for the Paris Games.
Ironically, that next stop is Stockholm — the home turf of world champion Armand Duplantis — for the BAHAUS-galan meet on 2 July, which is part of the Wanda Diamond League.
“Thank you to everyone who went out and watch us jump some bars. Still lots of figuring out to do,” Obiena said in a social media post. “Next stop, BAHAUS-galan.”
The World Athletics Championships bronze medalist will only need to get over 5.82m to secure his second straight trip to the Olympics.
Duplantis ruled the Czech meet after leaping 6.12m, a new season-best, while Australia’s Kurtis Marschall took second place because he leaped to 5.90m in a single bound.
Piotr Lisek of Poland and Norway’s Pal Haugen Lillefose were tied for fourth after going over the bar at 5.70m.
Despite both posting 5.60m, France’s Thibaut Collet took sixth place over Emmanouil Karalis of Greece due to count back.
Norwegian pole vaulter Simon Guttormsen took eighth place with 5.40m while hometown bet David Holy got 5.20m for ninth place.
Norway’s Dan Barta was tenth due to count back despite also getting 5.20m.
