Obiena resets Asian Games record for PH's first gold

The days of grief end for the Filipino athletes in Hangzhou as the said to be the strongest gold medal bet delivered when needed the most.

Ernest John "EJ" Obiena didn't disappoint as he elated the Filipinos watching inside the Hangzhou Olympic Centre Stadium in China or on television or online with a title finish in the men's pole vault event of the 19th Asian Games.

Obiena set a new games record of 5.90 meters in one try, proving he is a cut above the rest to claim the elusive gold in a historic fashion on Saturday, September 30.

"I think it was like icing on the cake to me. This is the biggest job, our country needed it and it's my job to bring it," Obiena said as the nationals suffered a week of torment and frustrations in the hunt for a gold medal.

The second-ranked pole vaulter already secured the gold after overcoming the 5.75-meter bar in his second attempt.

He also shattered the previous Asian Games record of 5.70m established by Japan's Seito Yamamoto in the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang meet to win the Philippines' first athletics crown since the late Lydia de Vega in the women's 100-meter dash in 1986.

Moreover, Obiena ended the 29-year medal drought of the athletics team in the continental showpiece. The last time a Filipino landed a podium finish was in Hiroshima 1994 in Japan, with Elma Muros-Posadas clinching a bronze in the women's long jump.

Meanwhile, China's Huang Bokai and Saudi Arabia's Hussain Al-Hizam, Obiena's competitors for the title, failed to clear 5.75 to settle for silver and bronze, respectively, with the Chinese placing second via countback by posting 5.65m clearance.

With the topmost mission achieved, the 27-year-old native of Tondo, Manila made it a night to remember.

Skipping the 5.82-meter bar, Obiena flawlessly cleared 5.90m to rewrite the Asiad history book. He tried to hurdle 6.02m for a new personal best and Asian record but faltered in three tries.

Though not achieving what he wanted, Obiena's golden triumph showed his tremendous growth in the sport.

Five years ago in the same competition, he missed the podium in Indonesia after landing seventh while still recovering due to his ACL injury.

Before capping his outdoor season in China, Obiena had a huge splash internationally.

In June, the reigning three-time Southeast Asian Games champion joined the exclusive six-meter club during the Bergen Jump Challenge.

By July in Bangkok, Thailand, Obiena claimed his second Asian Athletics Championships title in a row before bagging the World Athletics Championships silver in late August in Budapest, Hungary.

Before arriving in China, he settled for silver in the Wanda Diamond League Finals in Eugene, Oregon in the United States behind Sweden's Armand "Mondo" Duplantis – world record holder, top-ranked pole vaulter, and reigning Olympic champion.

Obiena now shifts his attention to preparations for next year's Paris Olympic Games, with the goal of mastering the trick behind a consistent six-meter pole vault to give himself a chance to beat Duplantis and the rest for the gold.

Last August, he qualified for the Olympics in the Diamond League's Bauhaus-Galan leg in Stockholm, Sweden.