EJ Obiena Wins Pole Vault Gold in Halberstadt, Germany

Key Facts

EJ Obiena won the 1st International Pole Vault Meeting in Halberstadt, Germany, clearing 5.76 meters on his first attempt.

He failed three attempts at 5.90 meters.

Qatar's Seifeldin Abdelsalam finished second and Cole Walsh of the United States placed third.

Obiena is the reigning Asian Games men's pole vault champion from the Hangzhou Games.

The 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya run from September 19 to October 4.

EJ Obiena won the inaugural International Pole Vault Meeting in Halberstadt, Germany, clearing 5.76 meters on his first attempt. The competition ended early Saturday, August 1, Philippine time.

The two-time Olympian attempted 5.90 meters but failed all three tries. Qatar's Seifeldin Abdelsalam finished second, and Cole Walsh of the United States placed third.

"Thank you Halberstadt for the wonderful time!" Obiena posted on social media after the event.

Building toward the Asian Games

The win is part of Obiena's preparations for the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, which run from September 19 to October 4. He is the defending men's pole vault champion, having won gold at the Hangzhou Games.

Obiena, 30, competed at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics and is a three-time Asian Championships gold medalist.

New training base

The meet came about a month after Obiena moved to Athens, Greece, to train under coach Marcin Szczepanski, who also coaches Greek pole vaulter Emmanuel Karalis. His longtime coach, Vitaly Petrov, remains a consultant to his team.

AI-assisted.This article was produced with AI assistance from the sources listed above. Our newsroom corrects any errors it finds. See our AI Disclosure.