POLE vaulter EJ Obiena did it again. In the company of the world’s best.
The 20-year-old Obiena placed fifth and broke the national indoor record in the 18th Potsdam athletics meet in Germany last Feb. 6.
He cleared 5.43 meters to break the Philippine mark that he had set last year.
According to the event’s official website, it was Polish bet Piotr Lisek, who took the gold and became the 10th vaulter in history to clear six meters indoors.
Action took place on a makeshift runway inside the Sterncenter Shopping Centre, with Lisek clearing 5.73m on his second attempt to seal the competition from Croatia’s Ivan Horvat.
Horvat and Karsten Dilla took the silver and bronze in 5.63.
Lisek placed sixth on the world indoor all-time list in the same group as world champion Shawn Barber, 1992 and 1996 Olympic champions Maksim Tarasov and Jean Galfione and German indoor record-holder Danny Ecker.
Last year, Obiena made 5.4 meters twice, first in the Asian Indoor Athletics meet in Doha, Qatar last Feb. 20, and then in another competition in Tsautun, Taiwan.
Obiena, a University of Sto Tomas college junior, cleared 5.55 meters in the Singapore Open to also own the new national outdoor record last April 20.
He made his feat last year while under the guidance of famed pole vault coach Vitaly Petrov.