With his incredible performance and number of wins in different pole vault competitions worldwide, Filipino athlete Ernest John “EJ” Obiena is now the top-two male pole vaulter among all countries.
After setting a record by being the first Filipino to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Obiena happily shared that he is now in the second spot in the latest pole vault records worldwide.
“Your very own skinny kid from Tondo, alumni of CKSC and UST, is now WORLD NUMBER TWO,” he said in his tweet.
Good Morning Philippines 🇵🇭
Your very own skinny kid from Tondo, alumni of CKSC and UST, is now WORLD NUMBER TWO✌️.
Thank you to everyone who made this possible, and my deepest gratitude to those who went to war so that I could continue this dream. pic.twitter.com/ak17g66rkb
— EJ Obiena (@ejobienapv) July 19, 2023
Back then, the spot was claimed by American Christopher Nilsen, but with the recent records of Obiena, he beat Nilsen’s score of 1428 by four points.
With this milestone, Obiena expressed his gratitude to Filipinos, who showed continuous support in every competition that he participated in.
“Thank you to everyone who made this possible, and my deepest gratitude to those who went to war so that I could continue this dream,” he said.
For Obiena, this achievement was not only for him to dedicate but for the whole country, saying how proud he was to raise the flag for every Filipino.
“This is not just my accomplishment alone, but everyone’s. […] Pilipinas sa pagkakataon na iwagayway ang iyong diwa,” Obiena said.
Just recently, Obiena got the gold medal and set new championship records during the 25th Asian Athletics Championships after finishing a 5.91-meter vault.
In his current position, he is now next to Armand Duplantis of Sweden, who has a current score of 1569 points.
