Obiena races against time

Pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena is in a must-win situation as he defends his ORLEN Copernicus Cup title in Torun, Poland on Monday (Manila time).

Obiena, 30, needs to clear at least 5.90 meters to enter the World Athletics Indoor Championships from 20 to 22 March.

The deadline for qualification will be on 8 March, making it a race against time for the two-time Olympian.

Obiena is coming off a sixth-place finish in the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais Trophée EDF in Lievin, France last Friday, after clearing 5.70m.

Obiena has yet to go beyond 5.70m in any competition this year as it was the same height that won him the bronze medal in the ISTAF Indoor Dusseldorf in Germany last January, the gold medal of the 12th Asian Indoor Athletics Championships last 7 February in Tianjin, China and the another bronze in the INIT Indoor Meeting Karlsruhe in Germany last week.

Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association secretary general Jasper Tanhueco remains optimistic that Obiena will pull it off in Poland.

“EJ now is of course healthy. I believe they’re in the right step, right direction,” Tanhueco said.

Obiena could face potential opponents like KC Lightfoot and Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Sam Kendricks of the United States, Sondre Guttormsen of Norway and world champion Armand Duplantis of Sweden.