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CHAMPION. The Philippines' EJ Obiena celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's pole vault in the 19th Asian Games.
Dylan Martinez/REUTERS
EJ Obiena breaks the golden ice for the Philippines after capturing his first Asian Games crown, ruling the men's pole vault with a record-setting performance
MANILA, Philippines – EJ Obiena lived up to his billing as the Philippines’ strongest gold medal bet in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Obiena broke the golden ice for the country after capturing his first Asian Games crown, ruling the men’s pole vault with a record-setting performance at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium on Saturday, September 30.
Establishing a new Asian Games mark of 5.90 meters, Obiena gave the Philippines its first athletics title in the continental showpiece since the late Lydia de Vega reigned in the women’s 100m in 1986.
Obiena erased the previous Asian Games mark of 5.70m set by Japan’s Seito Yamamoto in 2018 with a clearance of 5.75m then went on to eclipse the record again, easily soaring past 5.90m in just a single attempt.
The first and only Asian to break the six-meter barrier, Obiena triumphed with hardly any challenge as China’s Huang Bokai and Saudi Arabia’s Hussain Al-Hizam finished second and third, respectively, at a distant 5.65m.
With the win, Obiena also ended the Philippines’ near-three-decade medal drought in athletics since Elma Muros bagged bronze in the women’s long jump in 1994. – Rappler.com
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