Dreaming of Zurich

Gaining redemption will be the order of business when Ernest John Obiena returns to Europe for the men’s pole vault event of the Oslo Bislett Games in Norway.

Action starts at 1:20 a.m. on Friday (Manila time) with the Filipino superstar looking for a win that will not only give him valuable ranking points for the Diamond League final in Zurich but will also boost his morale following a heartbreaking finish on European soil.

In fact, after completing a three-peat in the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea last month, the 29-year-old Obiena struggled in the FBK Games in the Netherlands, where he posted only 5.66 meters, last Tuesday.

But the field in Oslo is overflowing with talent.

To emerge victorious, the best pole vaulter in Asia must overcome a rock-solid field bannered by world record-holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden, Paris Olympics silver medalist Sam Kendricks of the United States and rising Emmanouil Karalis of Greece.

Rounding out the start list are veteran Renaud Lavillenie of France, Ben Broeders of Belgium, Ersu Samsa of Turkey, Menno Vloon of the Netherlands, Marschall of Australia and home bet Sondre Guttormsen.

The Oslo event brings bittersweet memory to Obiena as he emerged with a silver medal with 5.72 meters last year using borrowed poles.

Obiena said he had to borrow from fellow competitors KC Lightfoot and Vloon after his equipment got broken while in transit.

“Another pole broken and it’s not even...,” Obiena said in a social media post.

“On the brighter side of things, thanks to (Vloon) and (Lightfoot) for lending me poles to jump on. Greatly appreciate it gentleman.”

After competing in the Xiamen and Shanghai legs last May, Obiena currently has six points for a sixth-place ranking in the Diamond League final. He finished seventh in Xiamen with 5.62 meters before tallying 5.72 meters in Shanghai to finish fifth place.

Only the top six of the pole vault event will advance to the Diamond League final in Zurich from 27 to 28 August.

Making it to the final is crucial for the Tondo-born athlete as he has yet to win a Diamond League title since posting three straight final appearances from 2021 to 2023.

But this year, Obiena has struggled after suffering a back injury following a fourth-place finish in the Paris Olympics.

Should he come up with a strong Diamond League performance, Obiena will gain a lot of confidence heading into the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo from 13 to 21 September.

There, Obiena will most likely face again the same pole vaulters in the Diamond League along with his training partners Huang Bokai of China and Hussein Al Hizam of Saudi Arabia.