Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 18) – Filipino pole vault sensation EJ Obiena nabbed the bronze medal of the 2021 Copernicus Cup Thursday (Philippine time) in Torun, Poland.
Obiena was engaged in a tight battle with two-time world champion Sam Kendricks of the United States and hometown bet Piotr Lisek in the final 5.87 meter jump. The three pole vaulters failed to clear the said height.
Kendricks secured the Copernicus Cup title after clearing the 5.80 meter height in one try. Both Lisek and Obiena hurdled the clearance in three attempts.
Lisek got the better score against Obiena after the Polish cleared the previous 5.72 meter mark in one attempt, while the Filipino made the height in his second try.
Compared to his previous tournaments, Obiena had a rough start as he needed three tries to ace the 5.40 meter clearance. He rebounded in the 5.60 meter height after hurdling it in one attempt.
The Filipino pole vaulter bested the likes of 2016 Rio Olympics gold medalist Thiago Braz of Brazil, Poland’s bets Pawel Wojciechowski and Robert Sobera, and American veteran pole vault specialist Matt Ludwig.
The Copernicus Cup ended Obiena’s streak of breaking his personal best and the Philippine indoor pole vault record. In his previous outing at the Orlen Cup last Saturday in Lodz, Poland, Obiena set the national record at 5.86 meters while finishing as the tournament’s runner-up.
Obiena first recorded the new national record last January 30 at the Karlsruhe World Indoor Tour Meeting, when he jumped 5.62 meters but only good for a fifth place finish. He then shattered the national mark last February 6 after acing the 5.80 meter mark to rule the ISTAF Indoor Athletics Meet in Berlin, Germany.
