EJ Obiena wins gold in Swedish tournament

Tokyo-bound athlete EJ Obiena achieved another gold medal performance after topping the men's pole vault event of the Folksam Grand Prix in Sweden on Wednesday (Sweden time).

Obiena cleared the 5.70-meter mark in the tournament, which he considered as "a great start for the 2021 outdoor season."

Brazil's Olympic gold medalist Thiago Braz (5.65) settled for the second spot, while Norway's Pål Haugen Lillefosse (5.60) placed third.

Prior to this tournament, Obiena has bagged gold medals from tournaments in Berlin last February and in Ostrava in September last year. He also had podium finishes from tournaments in Monaco, Poland, and Italy.

Obiena is the first Filipino to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. He will join gymnast Carlos Yulo, boxers Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno, Nesthy Petecio, and Carlo Paalam, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, rower Cris Nievarez, and taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa as the country aims for its first Olympic gold medal.

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/MGP, GMA News