HANOI — Philippine top pole vaulter EJ Obiena successfully defended his gold medal in the men's pole vault in the 31st Southeast Asian Games held at the My Dinh National Stadium on Saturday.
Obiena, who ranks 5th in the world in pole vault, set a new SEA Games record of 5.46m.
He only needed one try to clear the height which erased his former meet record of 5.45m back in 2019.
This was preceded by a clearance of 5.40m to already guarantee him the gold medal as most of the competitors fell victim to cramps due to the climate.
Though Obiena was already a cinch for gold, the 26-year-old wanted to attempt a new personal best at 5.94m.
Obiena tried and failed thrice to clear the new height which would have also set a new Asian record.
Coming in second is compatriot Hokett Delos Santos who cleared 5.0m.