Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena failed to qualify for the final round on the first day of the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
The 29-year-old athlete cleared 5.55 meters, placing 11th in Group A and falling short of the 5.80-meter cutoff.
Only the top 12 athletes advanced to the final. Swedish star Armand Duplantis qualified in his group alongside American Sam Kendricks, Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis, and Norwegian Sondre Guttormsen.
Also advancing to the final after clearing 5.75 meters were Kurtis Marschall, Bo Baehre, Rene Lavillenie, and Ersu Sasma.
Qualifiers from Group B included Dutch athletes Menno Vloon and Thibaut Collet, Ethan Cormont of France, and Seifeldin Adesalam of Qatar.
Obiena, currently ranked No. 7 in the world, is scheduled to compete next in the Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge at the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati from September 20-21.
