Obiena drops to world No. 5

Ernest John Obiena slid to No. 5 in the World Athletics ranking after missing some tournaments where valuable points were at stake.

After spending more than seven months at No. 4, the Filipino pole vault sensation slipped a notch lower after skipping some events in the European circuit, including the last two legs of the Diamond League in Poland and Switzerland.

With that, Obiena will miss the final of the Diamond League in Zurich for the second straight year after failing to generate enough ranking points to catch one of the six spots in the final ranking.

Obiena also missed the Diamond League final last year after he opted to focus on his recovery from a back injury in preparation for a golden conquest in the Paris Olympics.

The last European tournament that Obiena joined was the Stockholm leg of the Diamond League last June, where he posted 5.70 meters to finish in seventh place.