POLE vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena returned to competition on Friday and finished fifth at the Athletissima Wanda Diamond League meet in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Obiena cleared 5.52-meter to share fifth place with Ethan Cormont of France and KC Lightfoot of the United States, his mom Jeanette told BusinessMirror.
“He [Obiena] is getting better and better everyday, and he’s still adjusting from what happened in the Olympics,” said Jeanette, adding she and her husband Emerson seldom talked to their son as the outdoor season set in.
American Chris Nilsen clinched the gold medal with a 5.82-meter effort, while his fellow American Sam Kendricks cleared the same height in his second attempt to earn the silver medal.
Russia’s Timur Morgunov cleared 5.72-meter for the bronze.Tokyo Olympics champion Armand Duplantis settled for fourth place with 5.62 meters.
“Outdoor competitions have already set in prior that’s why he immediately flew to Italy right after the Olympics,” Jeanette said. “He will not come home for now because of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.”
Obiena, 25, will be competing in three more Diamond League legs in the starting on Friday in Paris and in Brussels and Zurich in the next two weeks.
Obiena missed the podium in Tokyo after managing only 5.70m which was good for 11th place among 12 finalists.
Duplantis claimed the gold medal with a 6.02-meter effort, while Nilsen registered 5.87m for silver and Rio 2016 champion Thiago Braz da Silva also settling with 5.87m for the bronze.