WORLD no. 3 pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena will be among three athletes representing the Philippines in the 2023 World Athletics Championships, which kicked off Sunday in Budapest.
Obiena will seek a podium finish with the world’s best in the 19th edition of the championships, taking place from Aug. 19 to 27, with Turkey having the most participants in the event with 17 athletes — seven females and 17 males.
Joining Obiena are Robyn Brown in the women’s 400-meter hurdles and Eric Cray, who was already eliminated in the men’s 400-meter hurdles on Sunday.
The Italy-based Obiena was the first Filipino to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, when he leaped 5.82 meters during the Diamond League-Bauhaus Galan in Sweden on July 3.
Obiena will again be challenging Swedish bet Armand Duplantis, the current world record holder, along with United States bets Chris Nilsen and Sam Kendricks.
The Filipino temporarily occupied the world No. 2 spot after the Southeast Asian Games before Nilsen regained the position this month.
The 27-year-old Obiena also won the 2023 Asian Championships in Thailand in July, setting a continental record of 5.91m.
In the Monaco leg of the Diamond League, also in July, Obiena registered 5.82m to finish second behind Nilsen (5.92m).