Obiena: Paris here I come

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino pole-vaulter EJ Obiena knew where he was headed even before he arrived in Stockholm, Sweden for the Wanda Diamond League’s Bauhaus Galan.

And on Sunday night in the Swedish capital, the Asian record-holder executed what he originally set out for, vaulting to 5.82 meters and straight to next year’s Paris Olympics. It will be his second appearance in the quadrennial event since the 2021 Tokyo edition.

It came a month after Obiena set the Asian record with a career-best six-meter effort in the Sparebanken Vest Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway that put him in the elite 6m club led by former world and Olympic champion Sergey Bubka.

Obiena became the first Filipino to make the Paris cut and, as top Philippine sports officials hope, would open the floodgates for the others to follow.

He snatched a silver medal in the process.

Never mind that he once again lurked behind the shadow of the great Armand Duplantis after the Swedish dragon’s seemingly effortless 6.05m for the gold.

What was important was that Obiena sealed his second straight Olympic appearance and gained a shot at redemption following a forgettable 11th-place performance in the Tokyo Games.

It was that Tokyo experience that fueled Obiena’s drive to deliver the country’s first Olympic medal in athletics since Miguel White’s 400m hurdles bronze in the 1936 Berlin Games.

With his place in Paris already ensured, Obiena will have all the time to focus on improving and reaching peak form.