Obiena wins second consecutive gold in Orlen Copernicus tilt
By Ernest Martin Tuazon
Thomasian pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena bagged back-to-back wins in indoor pole vault after ruling the Orlen Copernicus Cup with a clearance of 5.87m, early Thursday morning (Philippine time), in Torun, Poland.
Obiena began his quest for his third gold of the 2023 indoor season with one-attempt vaults at the heights of 5.62m and 5.77m, respectively.
In between those successful vaults, the Philippine Olympian then skipped the later heights of 5.67m and 5.72m before clearing 5.77 with ease.
Out of the six remaining pole vaulters in the competition, Obiena was the lone athlete to pass out on 5.82m.
Netherlands’ bets Rutger Koppelaar and Menno Vloon, along with Belgian Ben Broeders, joined the Filipino pole vault star after clearing 5.82m.
Obiena continued his stellar play after only needing two attempts to clear 5.87m and clinch gold, unlike Koppelaar, Broeders, and Vloon who bowed out of the competition after three unsuccessful attempts.
The 27-year-old pole vaulter looked to break his indoor personal best, a national record, and season best of 5.91m, but was unsuccessful in one attempt at 5.92m and two tries at 5.95m.
Obiena’s 2023 indoor season took a toll after recently announcing his withdrawal from the 2023 Asian Indoor Championships set to begin later this week.
