Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena is dead serious about regaining his once-elite status in the sport—and the world No. 14 underscored that commitment with a second straight gold, this time by topping the Raiffeisen Austrian Open in Eisenstadt on Thursday morning (Philippine time).
Obiena won after vaulting 5.75m on his third attempt to clear the competition. He started at 5.45m and hurdled it easily, then needed three tries to clear 5.65m. Coming in second was Great Britain’s Owen Heard, who cleared 5.55m on his first try but couldn’t clear 5.65m in three attempts. Dan Barta of Czechia rounded out the podium as the only other competitor to jump a height of at least 5.55m, doing it on his second try.
Obiena Sets Stadium Record
The Filipino Olympian, though, didn’t just win gold at the Raiffeisen Austrian Open—he also set the stadium record for Leichtathletikarena in Eisenstadt, Austria, even in less-than-stellar conditions.
“Wind. Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe s–t,” Obiena wrote on social media. “5.75m here at Eisenstadt, for the W and new stadium record. After many, many, many runs and 3rd attempt makes, we needed to call it a night after 11pm.”
Indeed, it was a long night for Team Obiena, but after bagging a second straight gold, it was for sure worth it.
Golden Again
Obiena’s golden conquest in Austria comes just days after he won his first outdoor gold this season in Poland. The Tondo native claimed his first outdoor title of the season on Monday when he cleared 5.72m on his second attempt to win the Czesław Cybulski Memorial 2026 at the Golecin Stadion in Poznan, Poland. There, he beat a field of 10 international competitors, including hometown favorite Piotr Lisek.
Four days later, Obiena was at it again, finishing in first place at the Raiffeisen Austrian Open, which is also a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet like the Czesław Cybulski Memorial.
All things considered, maybe the 30-year-old Filipino really can regain that lofty status he once reached in the sport.
