Despite a nagging back injury, EJ Obiena vaulted closer to the Olympic medal after advancing to the Paris Games men’s pole vault final in a heart-stopping fashion on Saturday at the Stade de France.

The 28-year-old Filipino athlete made it to the top 12 at seventh place after finishing the qualifications with a 5.75m vault.

It did not come easy for Obiena, however, as he nearly got eliminated following two failed attempts at 5.60 meters.

Fortunately, he restored order and made a successful jump at 5.70m before making another clean jump at 5.75m to move safely to the next round on Wednesday at 1 a.m. (Manila time).