Ernest John Obiena set new national and Asian indoor pole vault records after winning the gold medal in the ISTAF Berlin in Germany last Saturday.
Obiena cleared 5.93 meters to take the gold medal and eclipse the 26-year-old Asian record of Igor Potapovich of Kazakhstan of 5.92m that was set back in 1998.
He also bested his previous record of 5.91m in 2022 at the Perche Elite Tour in Rouen, France.
Tray Oates of the United States came in second with 5.75m while Robert Sobera of Poland finished third place with 5.66m.
The feat is Obiena’s second gold medal in the indoor season after tallying 5.83m to win the Memorial Josip Gašparac in Osijek, Croatia last Wednesday.
For his impressive feat, the tournament recognized the 28-year-old pole vaulter, who emerged as the first Filipino to qualify in the Paris Olympics.
“Ernest Obiena floats seemingly weightless over 5.93m. This is a new indoor record for the Philippines and even an Asian record. With that, he wins the ISTAF indoor ahead of Tray Oates (5.75m) and Robert Sobera (5.66m),” ISTAF posted on social media.
“Congratulations @ernestobienapv for winning the gold medal for the Philippines! This is the second gold for the week. Next up, World Athletics Indoor Championships Glasgow on 1-3 March 2024!”
Obiena is set to fly to Scotland for the world championships, where stars like Chris Nilsen of the United States and world champion Armand Duplantis of Sweden will compete.
Duplantis, the reigning world and Olympic champion, is oozing with confidence after clearing 6.02m in the All Star Perche in France last Thursday.
