EJ Obiena Wins Philippines First Gold in Hangzhou:
Filipino Olympian and the country’s hope for an Asian Gold medal, EJ Obiena lived up to the expectations and delivered the first gold medal for the Philippines in the 19th Asian Games on Saturday evening, September 30, 2023, at Hangzhou, China.
The two-time Asian champion EJ Obiena validated his claim to the continental throne and added the Asian Games gold medal to his myriad of medal collections.
The Paris-bound Olympian cleared an impressive 5.75 meters for the gold medal and later on established a new Asian Games record by successfully hurdling 5.90 meters when all of his rivals could only afford to clear the 5.65 meters mark.
EJ Obiena, the Filipino pole vault celebrity and World-ranked No. 2 in the sport, wiped out the 5.75 meters Asian Games record previously held by Japan’s Seito Yamamoto, who achieved the feat in the 2018 edition of the Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia.
The gold medal feat of the 27-year-old Italy-based Filipino athlete came after the Philippine delegation failed to secure the top spot in more than a week of competition, and some of the most prominent hopes for the delegations made an early exit in the Asian Games.
The gold medal hopes of the Philippines in women’s boxing ended when Neshty Petecio was defeated, and former Asian Gold Medalist in skating Margielyn Didal also exited early on their respective competitions.
The Philippine delegation performed dismally in various sports disciplines as the delegation only picked up a silver medal in Wushu courtesy of Sanda fighter Arnel Mandal and six bronzes, including two medals from tennis wonder Alex Eala.
EJ Obiena’s record-breaking victory in the Asian Games indicates that the Filipino pole vaulter is now ready for the bigger stage in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He is the first and only Filipino to qualify for the Paris Summer Games.
The gold medal performance of EJ Obiena was way ahead of China’s Huang Bokai, who got the silver via countback (5.65), and the bronze medal went to Saudi Arabia’s Hussain Al Hizam after hurdling the same height as the Chinese player.
EJ Obiena Wins the Asian Games Gold Medal:
WATCH: EJ Obiena wins the Philippines' 1st gold medal in the 19th #AsianGames. | @junavINQ
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) September 30, 2023
• Visit https://t.co/YTaIXGp8iT for live updates. pic.twitter.com/itJJf9o1eC
Obiena made it look easy in the pole vault competition as his opponents just had to look at the Olympian hurdle 5.90 meters en route to the Asian Games gold medal. The Filipino pole vaulter even attempted 6.02 meters for the Asian record, but he failed in three attempts.
EJ Obiena’s gold medal victory will be written in history books, and he became the first Philippine track and field athlete who made a podium finish in the Asian Games for nearly three decades.
Elma Muros-Posadas was the last Filipino who nailed a medal in Asian Games Athletics when she pocketed the bronze medal in the Women’s Long Jump in the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games in Japan.
As one of the flag-bearers of the Philippine Team in the Asian Games, most Filipinos put so much pressure on EJ Obiena’s shoulder to win the gold medal, which he delivered perfectly.
This victory is another remarkable achievement and milestone for EJ Obiena. He already bagged a bronze medal in the 2022 World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon. He then made an impressive silver medal performance at the same global meet last month in Budapest, Hungary.
Before coming to the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China, EJ Obiena also placed second to world No. 1 Armand Duplantis in the Diamond League finals in Oregon, USA.
Meanwhile, Here’s the Latest Medal Tally for the Philippines:
Disclaimer: PhilNews.XYZ articles and their external content are not financial advice but are only used for educational purposes. Always Do Your Own Research (DYOR) first. The team serves to deliver unbiased news with less intrusive ads.
