ERNEST JOHN “EJ” OBIENA and Rio 2016 gold medalist Thiago Braz da Silva cleared identical 5.80 meters on Sunday to share the gold medal in the True Athletes Classics at the Stadion Manfort in Leverkusen, Germany.
Bo Kanda Lita Baehre also cleared 5.80m in his third attempt and settled for the bronze medal.
Obiena and Brazil’s Thiago tried to clear 5.90m but they failed thrice.
Obiena excused himself from an interview but former pole vaulter Emerson Obiena said he was satisfied with his Tokyo Olympics-bound son.
“I am happy with his consistency, but of course the goal is to jump higher,” the elder Obiena said. “I am focusing on his performance and not the gold.”
Sharing the gold medal because of the identical performance could be the organizers’ decision, according to Emerson Obiena.
“A tie in pole vault depends on the rules and the decision of the organizers,” he said. “But a continuous jump off is necessary if the organizers wants to have a lone gold medalist. Most of the time, it’s settled by a jump off.”
“But that’s not allowed in the Olympics, maybe there will be a tie for the silver, but not for the gold,” he added.
The younger Obiena will compete in two more tournaments in Poland on June 30 and Sweden on July 2 before flying to Tokyo on July 23 when father and son will meet. The pole vault competitions are set on August 3 at Tokyo’s National Stadium.