Filipino pole vault star Ernest John “EJ” Obiena continued his steady run in the European circuit, capturing a silver medal at the 2026 Domspringen Wesel International Pole Vault Meeting in Germany on Wednesday, September 1.
Fresh off a gold-medal performance in Berlin where he cleared 5.82 meters, the 30-year-old two-time Olympian recorded a 5.75-meter clearance to claim second place among an eight-man field. France’s Robin Emig took the top spot with a height of 5.80 meters, while Cole Walsh of the United States secured the bronze medal with a 5.70-meter mark.
Addressing his performance on social media, the Tondo-born athlete acknowledged that fatigue played a major role following an intense competitive slate.
“5.75m here is Wesel for [silver]. Rough rough day and tiredness, eventually caught up after 6 competitions these last 14 days,” Obiena wrote.
“Took too many mistakes at the earlier bars and paid the price. Thank you for the opportunity and awesome setup @domspringenwesel,” he adde
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A victory in Wesel would have earned Obiena his 10th title of the season, following his victory at the Internationales Stadionfest (ISTAF) in Berlin just two days prior. Earlier, Obiena earned his spot for the 2027 World Championships by clearing 5.90 meters at the Diamond League meet in Zurich, Switzerland.
The world-class vaulter is refining his form in Europe as he prepares to defend his title at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan later this month.
He headlines a formidable Philippine delegation alongside tennis star Alex Eala, gymnast brothers Carlos and Eldrew Yulo, and Olympic boxing medalists Nesthy Petecio, Carlo Paalam, and Aira Villegas.