ERNEST JOHN “EJ” OBIENA finished outside the podium with a 5.83-meter effort in the Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich, Switzerland, on Friday morning (Manila time).
Obiena, the first Filipino pole vaulter to reach the series’ final, finished fourth in the event Tokyo Olympics champion Armand Duplantis of Switzerland expectedly ruled with an effortless 6.06-meter performance at the Letzigrund Stadium.
American Sam Kendricks, who missed the Olympics because of Covid-19, cleared 5.93 meters to claim silver and Russian Timur Margunov did 5.93 meters to bag bronze.
The 25-year-old Obiena, a 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, thanked his fans who watched him compete via his Instagram account.
“Thank you for the love and support and for definitely staying up until 2:30 a.m.,” he posted.
Obiena, who finished 11th in the Tokyo Olympics, established a new national record of 5.91 meters in the Diamond League Paris leg last August 29.