NAGOYA, Japan — Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena cemented his dominance on the continent after capturing Team Philippines’ third gold medal at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Tuesday, September 29.
The 30-year-old athlete cleared 5.91 meters under heavy rains at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, setting a new tournament standard and successfully defending the gold medal he previously claimed at the 2023 Games in Hangzhou.
Obiena clinched the top spot early after becoming the only competitor to clear the 5.75-meter height. Despite missing his initial two attempts at 5.80 meters, the former world No. 2 continued his performance to surpass his previous Asian Games record on his final vault.
China’s Jie Yao and Chenyang Li both cleared 5.70 meters to claim the silver and bronze medals, respectively.