Ernest John Obiena started his outdoor season with a silver medal at the Eurowings Flight Circus in Düsseldorf, Germany on Monday (Manila time).

The 30-year-old Obiena cleared 5.74 meters to reach the podium in his first competition since moving his training base from Formia, Italy to Athens, Greece.

Chris Nilsen of the United States won the tournament after clearing 5.83m, while Seifeldin Abdelsalam of Qatar took the bronze with a clearance of 5.65m.

It was a morale booster for the two-time Olympian as he prepares for the Doha leg of the Diamond League on 19 June.

Stars such as world champion Armand Duplantis of Sweden, Paris Olympics silver medalist Emmanouil Karalis of Greece, and two-time World Athletics Championships bronze medalist Kurtis Marschall of Australia are also expected to compete in one of the biggest athletics meets in the world.

“I got 5.74m for second place here in Dusseldorf to start the 2026 outdoor season. Battled through some swirling winds, but overall, I'm happy with how it all went,” Obiena said.

“Next stop: Doha, Qatar on 19 June for the first Diamond League meet of the season. What a surprise to have Filipinos screaming in the crowd. Maraming maraming salamat po sa pagsubaybay.”

Obiena has two major tournaments to prepare for this year, the first being the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan from 19 September to 4 October, where he will defend the gold medal he won at the 19th Asian Games in China in 2023.

He is also set to compete in the Diamond League Final in Brussels from 4 to 5 September if he collects enough points to qualify.