ERNEST John Obiena strengthened his bid for another major international campaign after clearing 5.90 meters to finish fifth in the pole vault at the 2026 Weltklasse Zürich Diamond League meeting in Switzerland on Thursday (Friday in the Philippines).
Obiena produced his season’s second-best clearance of 5.90m, matching the mark of American Chris Nilsen but settling for fifth place on countback.
The Philippine record-holder successfully cleared 5.50m, 5.65m and 5.90m before failing to go higher. His attempts at 6.00m were unsuccessful.
The performance, however, gave Obiena an important milestone as the 5.90m clearance officially qualified him for the 2027 World Athletics Championships.
Sweden’s Armand Duplantis once again dominated the competition, clearing a new meet record of 6.25m. Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis followed with a career-best 6.20m, while Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen took third at 6.00m.
Obiena entered the Zurich competition looking to build momentum after a season that has seen him steadily improve his form.
He opened the year with a 5.78m clearance at the ISTAF Indoor in Berlin before raising his mark to 5.81m in Athens. He later cleared 5.91m at the Golden Sand meeting in Międzyzdroje, Poland, marking his first jump beyond 5.90m since 2024.
The 5.91m remains his best clearance of the season, while his 5.90m effort in Zurich moves him closer to the elite group that continues to challenge Duplantis at the top of the event.
Obiena had also posted 5.80m for seventh place at the Silesia Diamond League and cleared 5.81m to finish sixth in Lausanne earlier in the Diamond League season.
With the 2026 season moving toward its final stretch, Obiena’s latest performance provides another positive sign as he builds toward the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where he is expected to defend his pole vault title. (Adrian Co)
