By King Cortel
Another dream come true for world ranked pole vaulter and Olympian EJ Obiena will be realized this year as he and different stakeholders from the private sector and government agencies will collaborate in bringing the Atletang Ayala World Pole Vault Challenge in September at the Ayala Triangle Gardens.
The realization may not be copping a gold medal in the World Championship or Olympics but it will be providing the Filipinos an opportunity to witness world class pole vault event which is expected to bring top ten ranked pole vaulters including Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis.
“It is a life-long dream of mine, bringing such a level of event to our country,” said Obiena who started to dream of staging world class events when he joined European competition. He added that the Filipinos are also capable of hosting theseΒ kinds of events and there is a lot the Philippines can offer.Β Β
Obiena along with Ayala Foundation, MVP Foundation, Philippine Athletic Track and Field Association is expecting to attract top 10 pole vaulters. As both part of the organizing team and the competition field, the Asian pole vault record holder will not miss this event as he has not jumped in front of a home crowd in a long time.Β Β
“We are inviting top world vaulters. We expect high ranking athletes as it will be right after theΒ World Championships,” Obiena said while adding that the plan is to have DuplantisΒ compete.
Duplantis currently holds the world record of 6.28 meters he set last month in Stockholm, Sweden.
Philippines’ Obiena is ranked fourth in the world behindΒ Duplantis, Emmanouil Karalis of Greece and American Sam Kendricks.
The event will be sanctioned by the World Athletics (formerly known as the International Association of Athletics Federation). It is now up in the World Athletics website calendar of events. It is officially scheduled on September 21, 2025 . The World Athletics Championships will be staged starting Sept. 13 in Japan,Β strategically close to the Philippines in terms of location and schedule.
A pre-competition event is expected on Sept. 20 with the presentation of the competitors.
Other details of the event are still in the works.Β
(πππ’ππ¨π«’π¬ π§π¨ππ: EJ Obiena held an online presscon to announced the said world class sporting event to be held in the country this September.)
