Filipino pole vaulter EJ Obiena reclaimed his winning form by topping the ISTAF Indoor in Berlin, Germany, with a season-best clearance of 5.78 meters.
On March 6 (March 7 Manila time), EJ Obiena cleared 5.78 meters to win the ISTAF Indoor in Berlin, Germany. This marked his first podium finish in a month, following a third-place result at the INIT Indoor Meeting in Karlsruhe, Germany, in February. In the subsequent events, he finished fourth at the Perche Aux Etoiles, sixth at the Meeting Hauts-de-France, and sixth at the ORLEN Copernicus Cup in Poland.
"Brick by brick, we build," Obiena posted on social media. Ranked 12th in the world, he edged out Norway's Simen Guttormsen on countback for his first gold since the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tianjin, China, in February. He surpassed his prior season best of 5.77 meters, set at the Internationales Springer-Meeting Cottbus in Germany in January 2026.
The bronze medals went to Menno Vloon of the Netherlands and Bo Kanda Lita Baehre of Germany, both clearing 5.70 meters. This victory represents Obiena's first gold of 2026 after a series of non-podium results.
