EJ Obiena strikes gold in Cottbus as world Top-10 push gains steam

Momentum, not medals, appears to be the real prize for EJ Obiena as he opens his indoor season with renewed purpose.

After a frustrating year marked by health setbacks and a slide down the world rankings, the Filipino pole vault ace is beginning to look like himself again. 

Obiena followed up a 5.65-meter bronze-medal finish in Düsseldorf with a stronger showing at the Internationales Springer Meeting in Cottbus, where he cleared 5.77 meters to finish joint gold with Dutch standout Manno Vloon.

The height mattered. So did the company.

Obiena matched World No. 5 Vloon and World No. 4 Sam Kendricks of the United States at 5.77m, a significant step forward from his season opener and a clear sign that his rhythm is returning. 

Kendricks bowed out after needing three attempts at the height, while Obiena and Vloon advanced with two, forcing a jump-off that ultimately ended with both sharing the top spot after failed attempts at 5.84m.

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FIRST GOLD OF THE SEASON

LOOK: EJ Obiena captures the gold medal at the Internationales Springer-Meeting Cottbus in Germany, clearing his new season’s best of 5.77 meters.

He wins alongside Menno Vloon of the Netherlands. | : Screengrab from Obiena/Instagram pic.twitter.com/9iKzUMMLZP

— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) January 29, 2026

For an athlete who slipped from No. 2 to No. 11 in the world rankings last year, the performance represented more than a podium finish—it was proof that his upward trajectory is back on track.

The timing couldn’t be better. Obiena is building toward the Asian Indoor Championships in Tianjin, China on February 6–8, a meet that could further bolster his ranking and confidence.

 Behind the scenes, preparations are already in place to ensure nothing disrupts that push.

“We have a set of EJ’s poles in Manila which we usually use for Asian competitions,” said PATAFA secretary-general Jasper Tanhueco. “This was the same set-up for the Asian and World Championships last year. We already arranged the poles to be delivered.”

Tanhueco added that arrangements are underway to secure the necessary Chinese visas for Obiena and his coaching staff, keeping the focus squarely on competition rather than logistics.

Before Tianjin, Obiena’s busy indoor campaign continues. He is slated to compete at the Perch’Xtrem meet in Caen, France, another opportunity to fine-tune his form as he chases qualification for the World Indoor Championships in Kujawy Pomorze, Poland from March 20–22.

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