(UPDATE) AS widely expected, pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena delivered the first gold medal of the Philippines in the 19th Asian Games at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou, China, on Saturday.
Obiena, the world No. 2 pole vaulter, clinched his first Asiad championship by posting the new meet’s record as he surpassed 5.90 m to also end the Philippines’ 29-year medal and 37-year gold drought in athletics.
GOLD The Philippines’ Ernest John ‘EJ’ Obiena clears the bar in the men’s pole vault final athletics event on his way to the country’s first gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in China’s eastern Zhejiang province on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. Obiena also posted the new meet’s record as he surpassed 5.90m to end the Philippines’ 29-year medal and 37-year gold drought in athletics. WILLIAM WEST / AFP Photo
GOLD The Philippines’ Ernest John ‘EJ’ Obiena clears the bar in the men’s pole vault final athletics event on his way to the country’s first gold medal at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in China’s eastern Zhejiang province on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. Obiena also posted the new meet’s record as he surpassed 5.90m to end the Philippines’ 29-year medal and 37-year gold drought in athletics. WILLIAM WEST / AFP Photo
The last Filipino athlete to win a medal in any Asiad athletics event before Obiena was Elma Muros, who snared a bronze in the women’s long jump in the 1994 Asiad.
Lydia de Vega, on the other hand, was the last to seize a gold medal as she ruled the women’s 100 m event in the 1986 Asian Games.
Obiena started with a 5.55 m clearance and proceeded to surpass 5.75 for the new Asian Games record. He reset the meet record right away with a 5.90 m clearance in just one attempt.
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The 27-year-old even tried to eclipse his personal best and Asian record of 6.0 m but could not ace 6.02 in three attempts.
Huang Bokai of China finished a distant second to Obiena, clearing 5.65 m only as he defeated Hussain Al Hizam of Saudi Arabia via countback. Al Hizam also cleared 5.65 m but needed more attempts at the previous heights.
Seita Yamamoto, the 2018 champion in Indonesia with a then record of 5.70 m, exited the tournament early as he could not clear 4.80 m in three attempts.
Meanwhile, Janry Ubas advanced to the final of the men’s long jump earlier on Saturday, giving the Philippines another shot at a medal in athletics.
Ubas placed third in the qualification phase with a jump of 7.79 m in the 19-athlete field, where the top 12 advanced to the final.
Ubas competes in the medal round today, Sunday, at 7:10 p.m.
In boxing, Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam moved on the cusp of a medal as he advanced to the quarterfinals after dispatching Munarbek Seiitbek of Kyrgyzstan in the men’s 57 kg round of 16.
Paalam and Eumir Marcial are the only two remaining out of the 10 boxers that the Philippines sent to the Asiad.
Eight have exited the tournament, including Nesthy Petecio, who got booted out in her opening bout in the women’s 57 kg class on Friday.
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