Ernest John Obiena guns for a third straight gold medal as he competes in the Fly Athens pole vault tournament at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens on Monday.

Competition starts at 12 a.m. (Manila time) as the 30-year-old Obiena tries to continue his winning ways in the outdoor season.

The two-time Olympian enters the eight-man tournament brimming with confidence after claiming victories in his last two meets.

He first won the Memoriał Czesława Cybulskiego in Poland last June after clearing 5.72 meters.

He then set a new meet record of 5.75 meters to capture the Raiffeisen Austrian Open in Eisenstadt, Austria, last Thursday.

Entering the Greek capital, Obiena will be up against tough competition, with hometown bet and world No. 2 Emmanouil Karalis expected to put on a show.

Also competing are Renaud Lavillenie of France, Menno Vloon of the Netherlands, Bo Kanda Lita Baehre of Germany, Ersu Şaşma of Turkey, and Christopher Nilsen of the United States, the silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics.

Now based in Greece, Obiena said he remains focused on his process as he continues to improve.

“Happy with the progress. The height and numbers are yet to come,” Obiena said.

Obiena is also gearing up for the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan from 19 September to 4 October.