A Filipino pole-vaulter heading to the Paris Olympics, EJ Obiena, broke the 26-year-old Asian indoor record during the ISTAF Indoor event in Berlin, Germany. Obiena cleared 5.93m, surpassing the previous mark set by Kazakhstan’s Igor Potapovich in 1988. This impressive feat comes shortly after Obiena’s victory at the Memorial Josip Gasparac in Osijek, Croatia. The Filipino athlete also set a new national indoor standard, resetting his own record of 5.91m. Despite the absence of top competitors like Armand Duplantis, Obiena dominated the field, with American Tray Oates and Polish Robert Sobera settling for silver and bronze, respectively. Obiena is now gearing up to face Duplantis and other world stars at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland from March 1 to 3.
