Philippines pole vaulter raises the bar

By claiming the gold in a crowded Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium on Saturday, Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena proved that Asians can reach the heights of success traditionally enjoyed by athletes from Western countries.

In addition to winning the first gold of the Games for the Philippines, the world No 2 set the Asian Games record with a clearance of 5.90 meters, 20 centimeters higher than the previous record, making him the star of the show.

"I need this, and my country needs this. It's my first (Asian Games) gold of my career," the 27-year-old said.

By topping the podium in Hangzhou, Obiena ended the best season of his career, which has seen him win silver at the 2023 World Championships behind Sweden's Armand Duplantis, and break the six-meter barrier twice.

After securing victory, he tried to hit a higher Asian record of 6.00 meters but failed in his attempt at clearing 6.02.

"I didn't want to stop at 5.90. I'm excited to take this medal, put it on a shelf. I would have liked to have hit a bigger record in front of an Asian crowd. That would have been amazing," Obiena said.

"Unfortunately I didn't have it in me, but this is one of the biggest stadiums I've been in and one of the most amazing crowds," he added.

Taking up the pole vault at age six, after years of hard training, Obiena became the first athlete representing the Philippines to win a medal at the world championships by claiming bronze at the 2022 edition in Eugene, Oregon.

But on Saturday, in Asia, his achievement was, arguably, more inspiring.

"I want to say thank you to Obiena, because you are here to prove (Asians) can reach six meters and that we can compete with Europeans," said China's Huang Bokai, who won silver.

Bronze medalist Hussain Asim M Al Hizam, of Saudi Arabia, said: "Pole vaulting hasn't been the most decorated event for Asians.

"As you can see today, we pushed the bar a little higher. Obiena made 5.90 which could win a medal at a world championships or even the Olympic Games."

All three medalists had a little something extra to celebrate, too.

"We all train under the same coach, Vitaly Petrov, so it's an honor to share the podium with these guys," Al Hizam said.