Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena is gearing up for another face-off with elite Olympians, including Mondo Duplantis, at the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League on Wednesday.
According to the event’s entry list, Obiena will go head-to-head with Paris Olympics gold medalist Duplantis from Sweden, silver medalist Sam Kendricks of the USA, and bronze medalist Emmanouil Karalis of Greece. The competition will also feature Olympic finalists Kurtis Marschall of Australia and Sondre Guttormsen of the Netherlands, along with top American vaulters Christopher Nilsen and Jacob Wooten, France’s Renaud Lavillenie and Thibaut Collet, and local contender Valentin Imsand.
Recently, Obiena returned to the Philippines for a series of events, including a reception at Malacañang Palace, a homecoming at Chiang Kai Shek College, and receiving a cash incentive at Manila City Hall. In a social media post, he highlighted the “golden era” of Philippine sports, expressing pride in the nation’s achievements.
Obiena, who recently dropped to third in the world rankings after a fourth-place finish at the Paris Summer Games, is also set to host the Philippine International Pole Vault Challenge on September 20, bringing international pole vault stars to the country.