THE KING STILL REIGNS: Obiena shatters Asian Games record anew, retains crown

ol and composed while watching a young Chinese crumble under tremendous pressure to retain his gold medal in record-breaking fashion in the men’s pole vault competition of the 20th Asian Games on a wet and rainy Tuesday night at the Nagoya City Mizuho Athletic Stadium in Japan.

The 30-year-old Obiena struggled to clear 5.80 meters but still secured the gold medal after posting 5.75 meters. Then, the 23-year-old Li Chenyang succumbed to pressure and failed to clear 5.80 meters en route to settling for the bronze medal with 5.70 meters while his compatriot, Yao Jie, clinched the silver with a similar clearance via the virtue of countback.

With the crown already secured, Obiena returned to the tracks for one last time, setting the bar higher to 5.91 meters in a bid to shatter the Asian Games record of 5.90 meters that he set in Hangzhou in 2023.

The Filipino, whose personal best is 6.0 meters, had an easy time, successfully clearing the bar and delivering a loud roar as soon as he landed to signal the extension of his reign and entry to the elite circle of legendary Filipino athletes who won the Asian Games titles in two successive editions.

The last Filipino who successfully defended the Asian Games title was the late Lydia de Vega-Mercado, who ruled the women’s 100-meter run in 1982 in New Delhi and 1986 in Seoul.

With an official clearance of 5.91 meters, Obiena also gifted the Philippines its third gold medal, becoming the second champion after star gymnast Carlos Yulo ruled the floor exercise and vault events over the weekend. The Filipinos also have three silver and 12 bronze medals — a production that could still increase once tennis player Alex Eala and boxer Carlo Paalam intensify their respective hunts for titles in the next few days.

Also emerging successful for the vaunted athletics team was new recruit Victoria Bossong, who secured the bronze medal in the women’s 800-meter run.

The 23-year-old Filipina-American made a lot of heads turn when she clocked the fastest time in the preliminary heats but simply couldn’t overcome the prowess of Chinese runner Wu Hongjiao and Singaporean trackster Nelly Korir in the final of this middle-distance event.

Bossong clocked two minutes and 5.34 seconds while two-time Asian Indoor Games champion Wu notched 2:04.49 for the gold medal and Korir, who used to compete for Kenya, settled for the silver medal with 2:05.16.

It was the Filipinos second medal in athletics after John Cabang Tolentino secured the bronze in men’s 110m hurdles on Sunday.

Prior to Obiena and Bossong’s heroics, takraw bets made history while a surfer outshone his compatriot to secure a bronze, boosting the Filipinos’ medal haul entering the last four days of competition.

Abegail Sinogbuhan, Jean Marie Sucalit and substitute Nelly Jay Saron put up a gallant stand before bowing to the Vietnamese squad of Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, Nguyen Thi Khanh Ly and Le Thi Hong Lien, 15-8, 15-4, in the gold medal match of the women’s doubles team event at Mizuho Park Gymnasium.

After starting strong, the Filipinas crumbled under pressure, allowing the Vietnamese to pull away midway through the opening set. They carried the momentum into the second set to secure the victory in this indigenous sport that is known to have originated from Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines.

Still, the Filipina troika made history by delivering the country’s best-ever finish in sepak takraw in the Asian Games.

The Filipinas’ run to the final was highlighted by a 2-1 record in Group B, where they defeated host Japan and India before losing to South Korea. The team then secured its historic place in the final after sweeping Laos, 15-12, 15-10, in the semifinals.

Sinogbuhan admitted to having mixed emotions after they team exceeded expectations.