Filipino pole vault ace EJ Obiena added to his 2026 hardware on Wednesday morning after winning silver in the Domspringen Wesel Internationales Stabhochsprungmeeting held in Wesel, Germany.
Obiena cleared 5.75 meters to finish second behind France’s Robin Emig, who won gold with a 5.80‑meter clearance. American Cole Walsh rounded out the podium with a 5.70‑meter clearance in two attempts, edging Frenchman Ethan Cormont via countback.
The 30‑year‑old Tondo native skipped 5.60, 5.65, and 5.70 meters, then cleared 5.75 in two attempts. He tried 5.85 but was unable to clear it.
Fatigue Catches Up With Obiena
The two‑time Olympian has been busy to start the second half of the season, and it showed in Wesel as Obiena failed to clear a height he has recently managed with ease. World No. 12 admitted as much on social media.
“Rough, rough day and tiredness,” Obiena wrote. “Eventually caught up after 6 competitions this last 14 days. Took too many mistakes at the earlier bars and paid the price.”
The Wesel competition was his sixth in just two weeks. In the other five, Obiena was terrific: he won gold in Golden Sand (Poland) and ISTAF Berlin (Germany), cleared 5.81 meters in Lausanne for sixth place, notched 5.80 meters in Silesia for seventh, and cleared 5.90 in Zurich to finish fifth—securing a spot in the 2027 World Athletics Championships.
Rest Next Before Asian Games?
As of now, Obiena does not appear set to compete in the next two major September events—the Wanda Diamond League Final (Allianz Memorial Van Damme) in Brussels and the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest—as he did not accumulate enough points for an invite and has not received a wildcard.
With no other meets on the horizon, Obiena can finally rest before turning his full attention to the Asian Games in Nagoya, scheduled from September 19 to October 4. That recovery period will be crucial as he defends his continental title against strong competition, including Qatar’s Seifeldin Abdelsalam, Saudi Arabia’s Hussain Asim Al‑Hizam, and China’s Bokai Hoang.
