ERNEST John Obiena finished sixth in the Lausanne stop of the Diamond League after clearing 5.81 meters at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise in Switzerland on Friday (Philippine time).
The Filipino pole vaulter needed two attempts to get over 5.81m. He then failed to clear 5.91m on all three attempts, falling short of matching his season-best performance.
Sweden’s Armand Duplantis topped the field in dominant fashion, setting a new meet record of 6.21m. Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis placed second with a 6.16m clearance, while Australia’s Kurtis Marschall took third at 5.91m.
Obiena had recently raised his season best to 5.91m at the Golden Sand meet in Międzyzdroje, Poland. It marked his first clearance of at least 5.90m since 2024.
The 30-year-old Obiena is now set to turn his attention to bigger competitions, including the World Athletics Ultimate Championships and the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
He will seek to retain the Asian Games pole vault title he won in Hangzhou in 2023. (Adrian Co)
