ALL SET FOR PARIS

Ernest John Obiena displayed his readiness for the Paris Olympics after picking up his third gold medal in six starts after topping the Memorial Czesław Cybulskiego in Poznan, Poland last Monday.

The 28-year-old Obiena, the second-best pole vaulter in the world, logged 5.87 meters in his first attempt to set a new meet record in the 10-man tournament that is part of the World Athletics Continental Silver.

Home bet Piotr Lisek settled for the silver medal after clearing 5.82 meters while Obiena’s training partner Hussain Asim Al-Hizam of Saudi Arabia took the bronze medal over Huang Bokai of China via countback after posting 5.62 meters.

Interestingly, world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden as well as other heavyweights in Chris Nilsen and Sam Kendricks, and KC Lightfoot of the United States, and Kurtis Marschall of Australia were not around to give the Filipino superstar a good fight.

It was Obiena’s second straight gold medal after topping the 6th Irena Szewińska Memorial at the Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak Stadium in Bydgoszcz, Poland last Friday.

He expressed delight after pocketing back-to-back gold medals, saying that his success is a major boost to his confidence heading into the Paris Olympics.

“Back-to-back competitions in Poland definitely were a blast!” said Obiena, who is using a new set of poles from the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association.

“I got 5.87m here in Memorial Cybulskiego for the bonus meeting and stadium record. Thank you, Poznan, for the great time.”

Obiena’s pre-Olympic stint will end after the Meeting de Paris, which is part of the Diamond League, on 7 July at the Charlety Stadium in Paris.

After that, there’s a chance that he will join the national delegation in its training camp in Metz depending on his decision to join another tournament within France before the 26 July opening ceremony.

Obiena is set to use the upcoming Meeting de Paris as a way to test himself against the likes of Duplantis and Nilsen before the Summer Games.

After all, he is determined to win an Olympic medal after coming up with a dismal performance in his maiden stint in Tokyo, where he finished in the 11th place with Bo Kanda Lita Baehre of Germany.

‘Back-to-back competitions in Poland definitely were a blast!’

Lita Baehre is expected to return to the Paris Games as well as Duplantis, Lisek, Kendricks, Nilsen, Marschall, and Ben Broeders of Belgium.

The men’s pole vault event will start on 3 August at the Stade de France in Paris with the final on 5 August.

Meanwhile, Janry Ubas topped the men’s long jump at the Qosanov Memorial in Almaty, Kazakhstan last Monday.

Ubas, who is making a last push for a spot in the Paris Games, tallied 7.56 meters to capture a gold medal while Lasha Gulelauri of Georgia settled for a silver medal with 7.31 meters and Timur Isakov of Kyrgyzstan took the bronze medal with 7.23 meters.

Ubas has until 30 June to hit the standard of 8.27m to punch his ticket to Paris with his last competition being at the 2024 Silk Road to Olympic set from 28 to 29 June in Tashkent.