Can Obiena make it?
EJ Obiena is in grave danger of missing the World Indoor Athletics Championships.
Photograph courtesy of Copernicus Cup
Daily TribuneEJ Obiena is in grave danger of missing the World Indoor Athletics Championships.
Photograph courtesy of Copernicus Cup
Time is running out for Ernest John Obiena to qualify for the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland.
In the same city, Obiena settled for sixth place in the ORLEN Copernicus Cup on Monday after only clearing 5.65 meters.
Sondre Guttormsen of Norway won the competition after soaring past 5.85m while Christopher Nilsen of the United States settled for a silver after clearing 5.80m.
Norwegian entry Simen Guttormsen clinched the bronze medal after clearing 5.80m.
Meanwhile, Obiena has until 8 March to clear 5.90m or miss his second straight World Athletics Indoor Championships.
Obiena didn’t qualify in last year’s edition in Nanjing, China after failing to hit the qualifying standard of 5.85m.
He has yet to eclipse even his season-best of 5.77m in the International Springer-Meeting Cottbus, Germany where he shared the gold medal with Menno Vloon of the Netherlands.
Obiena’s last chance to qualify will be the ISTAF Indoor in Berlin on 6 March, two days before the qualifying deadline.
It will be easier said than done as the likes of Vloon, Paris Olympics silver medalist Sam Kendricks of the United States and world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden are expected to participate.