Olympic-bound EJ Obiena bags silver in Italian tournament

EJ Obiena won a silver medal in the men's pole vault competition at the 13th International Triveneto Meeting in Trieste, Italy.

The Tokyo-bound athlete cleared the 5.45-meter mark in the competition, finishing just behind Olympic gold medalist Thiago Braz da Silva of Brazil who recorded 5.50 meters. Italy's Max Mandusic settled for bronze with 5.35 meters.

Obiena was already in Italy even before countries imposed lockdowns amid the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

He bagged the gold medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games after setting a Games record, also at 5.45 meters. 

Obiena was the first Filipino athlete to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, which has been postponed for a year due to the pandemic. —Justin Kenneth Carandang/MGP, GMA News