EJ Obiena has climbed the ranks to become the world’s No. 2 in men’s pole vault.
Previously holding the third position, Obiena surpassed American Chris Nilsen, securing 1,432 ranking points, just four points ahead of Nilsen.
Mondo Duplantis from Sweden continues to dominate the top spot in the pole vault rankings with an impressive 1,569 points.
Obiena took to social media to share his excitement, posting, “Your very own skinny kid from Tondo, alumni of CKSC and UST, is now WORLD NUMBER TWO.”
He expressed his gratitude to everyone who contributed to this achievement and acknowledged the support that made his dream possible.
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This year has been remarkable for Obiena, who recently emerged victorious at the Asian Athletics meet, setting a new record of 5.91 meters, surpassing his previous record of 5.71 meters in 2019.
Read: EJ Obiena qualifies for Paris Olympics in 2024
The 27-year-old athlete has already qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, marking his second consecutive appearance in the Summer Games.
He secured his spot after clearing 5.82 meters in the BAUHAUS-Galan leg of the Diamond League in Stockholm, Sweden.
Obiena’s achievements continued in June when he joined the exclusive “six-meter club,” becoming the first Filipino and Asian to clear the six-meter mark at the Bergen Jump Challenge in Norway.
Related story: Obiena wins first Diamond League in Belgium, beats world record holder Duplantis
Recently, Obiena dominated the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia last May, where he set a new meet record with 5.65 meters, earning him his third gold medal in the biennial tournament.
