Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena bagged a silver in his first online tournament on Monday, August 17, fresh from his historic bronze-medal finish in the 2020 Monaco Diamond League.

Obiena was close to topping the Finest vaulter competition with a height of 5.60 meters, but defending Olympic gold medalist Thiago Braz made a surprise appearance to steal the gold with a 5.70m performance.

American Matt Ludwig settled for the bronze (5.35m), while Polish vaulter Pawel Wojciechowski placed 4th (5.20m).

Although it’s an online exhibition tournament, Obiena’s performance remained a challenge due to the extremely strong winds, according to Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) president Philip Juico.

“EJ is really intent on participating in as many competitions as he can, to further refine his technique. He had just arrived from Diamond League in Monaco Saturday afternoon, August 15,” said Juico.

“In less than 48 hours, he jumped right back into another star-studded tournament. EJ continues to make us and the country proud.”

Obiena leaped to his season’s best of 5.70m in the Monaco Diamond League, becoming the first Filipino to land a podium finish in the tournament.

The 24-year-old continues train in Formia, Italy for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which he qualified for last September. He also bagged the elusive 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold in the country’s hosting of the regional biennial meet. – Rappler.com