EJ Obiena finishes fourth in final tourney before Paris Olympics

EJ Obiena fell short of a podium finish in his final tournament before he plunges into the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing fourth in the Meeting de Paris of Wanda Diamond League on Sunday in France.

The Filipino pole vault champion cleared 5.75 meters for joint fourth alongside Emmanouil Karalis of Greece while reigning Olympic and world champion Mondo Duplantis breezily seized the gold with a 6-meter outing.

American bet Sam Kendricks and home bet Thibaut Collet snatched the silver and bronze medals, respectively, after vaulting past 5.95 and 5.85 meter as the athletes gear up with a few more days before the Summer Games.

The 28-year-old Obiena easily cleared the 5.50 mark before skipping the next height at 5.65. After just one attempt, he registered the 5.75 meters but was unable to clear the next heights at 5.85 and 5.95 meters to settle for fourth.

Obiena, seen as one of the medal hopefuls for the small Philippine team, is looking to improve on an 11th place finish in the Tokyo edition.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News