Obiena hits snag, finishes 9th at worlds

MANILA, Philippines -- After back-to-back gold medal finishes in indoor events, Filipino olympian EJ Obiena struggled in the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

Obiena finished ninth in the event after clearing 5.65 meters.

The world’s number two pole vaulter was unable to clear 5.85 meters and 5.90 meters, resulting in his dismal finish.

Swedish rival Armand Duplantis reigned supreme in the event after hurdling 6.05 meters.

America’s Sam Kendricks finished second with 5.90 meters and Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis ended up third with 5.85 meters.

Before the Glasgow competition, Obiena had back-to-back gold medal finishes at the Memorial Jospic Gasparac indoor event in Croatia and the ISTAF Indoor 2024 in Germany.

In the Germany competition, he cleared 5.93 meters to reset the Asian indoor record.