2023 Wanda Diamond League: EJ Obiena qualifies for Paris 2024 Olympics, takes silver in Bauhaus-Galan tourney
2023-Jul-03 11:23
2024-Jul-15 18:41
MISSION SUCCESS. EJ Obiena became the first Filipino athlete to earn a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics after his silver medal finish in the Bauhaus-Galan leg of the 2023 Wanda Diamond League. PHOTO: Orlen Copernicus Cup/Facebook
The Philippines' Ernest "EJ" Obiena qualified for next year's Summer Olympics in France's capital – Paris.
The Filipino pole vaulting ace cleared the qualifying standard of 5.82 meters to book his spot in Paris 2024 Olympics.
Obiena settled for silver in the Bauhaus-Galan leg of the 2023 Wanda Diamond League in Stockholm, Sweden on Sunday, July 2 (early Monday morning, July 3, Manila time).
He became the first Filipino athlete to qualify for the quadrennial multi-sporting competition, which marked his second consecutive trip to the Olympics after competing in the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Obiena needed two attempts to clear the 5.82-meter bar, finishing second behind home bet Armand Duplantis.
The top-ranked reigning Olympic gold medalist and world champion Duplantis ruled the event for the fifth straight time in front of his home fans by clearing 6.05m.
Norway's Pal Haugen Lillefosse took the bronze as he overcame the 5.72m clearance. Lillefose failed to secure his spot in the Paris festivities after failing in his three tries at 5.82m.
After overcoming 5.82m, Obiena attempted to breach the 5.95 mark but was unsuccessful.
Before the Stockholm tiff, the world number three bagged back-to-back bronze finishes in the Oslo Bislett Games and Ostrava Golden Spike, which he leaped past 5.90m.
In early June, the 27-year-old became an exclusive member of the 6m club during the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway.
The son of Emerson Obiena, who once represented the country in pole vault internationally, will head to France for the Meeting International de Sotteville on July 7.