EJ Obiena wins his first-ever gold in the Wanda Diamond League after beating world record holder Mondo Duplantis in Brussels, Belgium on Friday, September 2.
Obiena sailed past 5.91 meters on his third attempt while Sweden’s bet Duplantis failed three times. An unexpected performance considering the Swede’s personal best of 6.21m.
“It took a lot of luck, a good day and some excellent calls to beat Mondo today,” said Obiena.
Duplantis settled for second place while USA’s Christopher Nilsen completed the podium.
SHOCK IN THE POLE VAULT@ejobiena of the Philippines beats world record holder @mondohoss600 with 5.91m to 5.81m 🇵🇭
📸 Pic 1 @DanVernonPhoto @Diamond_League pic.twitter.com/OZkZXTSE25
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) September 2, 2022
Nilsen, meanwhile, only needed one try in 5.41m, 5.61m, and 5.71m before failing to clear 5.81m.
Obiena took to social media to share that he considers his victory a “core memory”.
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Also in the competition were Obiena’s pal Thiago Braz, Renaud Lavillenie and Oleg Zernikel.
Next up for Obiena is the ISTAF in Berlin where he hopes to continue his string of victories.
