Ernest John Obiena was supposed to see action in the 16th International Golden Roof Challenge in Innsbruck, Austria on Saturday (Sunday in Manila),
But bad weather because of rain and unplayable conditions forced organizers to call off competitions in pole vault and long jump.
Safety and health protocols that were strictly enforced compelled local athletics officials to halt ongoing attempts in men’s pole vault.
The 24-year-old Obiena was able to clear 5.3 meters, and was going for 5.4 meters when his foot hit the bar on his first attempt.
Obiena was competing against Cole Walsh and Audie Wyatt of the United States and Greek bet Konstantin Filippidich.
The competition offered an innovation this year, with organizers using a mobile facility for the event with the use of a ramp known as the “The FlySwat MultiTrack”.
The FlySwat is a unique, mobile combination-track that can be used for pole vault, long jump/triple jump, shot put or sprint. It has a total length of 83 meters and a total weight of up to 25 tons.
His stint came a week after Obiena came up short in his quest for a medal in the 2020 Janusz Kusocinski Memorial Athletics meet in Tuesday in Chorzow, Poland.
The 24-year-old Obiena made it as far as 5.62 meters to finish at fifth place back then.
A few weeks back, he did 5.6 meters in the online Fine Guard meet back then.
Over in the 2020 Monaco Diamond League on last Aug. 14, Obiena settled for the bronze with a 5.7-meter effort.
On Tuesday, Obiena will take part in another meet in Ostrava, Austria.