EJ Obiena falls just short of podium in Paris Olympics pole vault finals

An Olympic medal remained elusive for Filipino bet EJ Obiena as he finished fourth in the men's pole vault finals of the 2024 Paris Olympics on early Tuesday at the Stade de France. 

The decorated 28-year-old trackster missed out on the podium after failing to clear the 5.95 meter-mark on three tries with only a total of four pole vaulters still in contention. 

Despite the result, Obiena still showed a huge improvement from his 11th place outing during his Tokyo Olympics debut three years ago, which signaled his rise in the global rankings. 

However, it was an ending that Obiena didn't expect after a stellar start to open his finals campaign.

He breezed past the first two heights at 5.50 and 5.70 meters before he dislodged the bar on the way down his first attempt at 5.80, which was the same height he failed to clear in the finals in Tokyo. 

He skipped his second 5.80m attempt, then unloaded a more confident jump to complete the 5.85m and 5.90m clearances that put him in a good position for a podium finish. 

However, he struggled to clear 5.95 meters in three tries to formally bow out of contention. 

Sweden's Mondo Duplantis eventually won the gold at 6.25, while USA's Sam Kendricks claimed silver at 5.95. Greece's Emmanouil Karalis got the bronze with 5.90 meters, which was also Obiena's clearance. However, Karalis needed just one jump for all his clearances until the 5.90-mark, while Obiena missed out his first at 5.80. Obiena also was also eliminated ahead of Karalis. 

READ MORE  | Philippines at the 2024 Paris Olympics

—JKC, GMA Integrated News