EJ Obiena earns 2027 World Athletics Championships berth

MIDAIR. Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines in action during the men's pole vault final in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kai Pfaffenbach/REUTERS EJ Obiena gains direct entry to the 2027 World Athletics Championships by clearing exactly the entry standard of 5.90 meters at Weltklasse Zurich in Switzerland MANILA, Philippines – EJ Obiena punched his ticket to the 2027 World Athletics Championships following his fifth-place finish at Weltklasse Zurich in Switzerland on Thursday, August 27 (Friday, August 28, Manila time). Obiena gained direct entry to the global showdown by clearing exactly the entry standard of 5.90 meters in the meet once again ruled by world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden. Duplantis posted a new meet record of 6.25m to claim the gold medal as he edged Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis for the gold medal in a thrilling mano a mano between the two highest-ranked pole vaulters in the world. Karalis recorded a new career best of 6.20m but still settled for silver, while Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen bagged bronze with 6.00m. USA’s Chris Nilsen edged Obiena for fourth place via countback, with the Filipino needing three attempts to surpass 5.80m. After hurdling 5.90m in one try, Obiena sought to clear the six-meter bar for the first time since he won a historic silver in the 2023 World Athletics Championships but to no avail. Despite finishing out of the podium for the third straight meet, Obiena has shown consistency by vaulting at least 5.80m in each of them. He landed sixth in the Athletissima in Laussane, Switzerland, with 5.81m, then seventh in the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Chorzow, Poland, with 5.80m. – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading