Obiena vies in Rome meet

MANILA, Philippines — EJ Obiena of the Philippines takes another shot at world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden when the Rome leg of the Diamond League unfurls tonight at the Stadio Olimpiaco in Italy.

The 24-year-old Obiena, making a name for himself in men’s pole vault, has beaten several big names in the sport, including 2016 Rio Olympic gold medalist Thiago Braz of Brazil during the 59th Ostrava Golden Spike in the Czech Republic last week.

But the SEA Games gold medalist and record-holder has yet to win one against Duplantis, who holds the current world mark of 6.18 meters.

In their first meeting in Monaco last month, Obiena managed a 5.70m, which was good for a bronze.