EJ Obiena comes up short, places ninth at World Indoor Championships

EJ Obiena settled for a joint ninth-place finish in the men’s pole vault event of the World Athletics Indoor Championships 2026 in Torun, Poland, as the Filipino Olympian struggled to keep pace with a record-breaking field.

Obiena cleared 5.50 meters and 5.70 meters but failed to hurdle the 5.85-meter mark after three attempts, ending his campaign earlier than hoped. He shared ninth place with Christopher Nilsen, who posted the same result.

The event was dominated by Sweden’s Armand Duplantis, who delivered a flawless performance en route to a new championship record. 

Duplantis cleared every height on his first attempt, needing just one try at 5.50m, 5.85m, 6.00m, 6.10m, 6.15m, and 6.25m before sealing the gold.

Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis took the silver medal after clearing 6.05 meters, while Australia’s Kurtis Marschall secured bronze with 6.00m.

Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen finished fourth with 5.95 meters, followed by the United States’ Zachery Bradford, also at 5.95 meters. 

France’s Baptiste Thiery, the Netherlands’ Menno Vloon, and France’s Thibaut Collet all cleared 5.85 meters to round out the next group of finishers.

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EJ Obiena cleared 5.70m for a shared ninth place at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Kujawy Pomorze in Poland early morning Sunday (PH time)

Also clearing 5.70m was USA’s Cristopher Nilsen. Both tried to jump 5.85m but failed in three attempts.

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In the same competition, Norway’s Simen Guttormsen placed 11th with 5.70 meters, while Czechia’s David Holy ended at the bottom with 5.50 meters.

Meanwhile, fellow Filipino Olympian John Cabang Tolentino failed to advance in the men’s 60-meter hurdles after finishing fourth in his heat with a time of 7.77 seconds. His run was not enough to secure a semifinal berth in the 46-athlete field.

The event was later ruled by Poland’s Jakub Szymański, who clocked 7.40 seconds to top the competition on home soil.

Despite falling short of podium finishes, both Obiena and Cabang gained valuable exposure against the world’s top athletes in one of indoor athletics’ premier events.

For Obiena, the result marks a rare finish outside medal contention, but it also highlights the consistency he has built over the years as one of the sport’s elite vaulters. 

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