Obiena settles for silver medal at German meet – BusinessWorld Online
TIRED AND WEARY EJ Obiena overcame struggles and salvaged a silver medal finish with a 5.75-meter (m) clearance in the Domspringen Wesel Internationales Stabhochsprung meeting in Germany on Wednesday.
“Rough, rough day and tiredness eventually caught up after six competitions in the last 14 days,” said the Asian champion and record-holder from Tondo in Manila.
“Took too many mistakes at the earlier bars and paid the price,” he added.
Frenchman Robin Emig took the gold with a 5.80 m but Mr. Obiena tried to snatch and attempted 5.85 m but failed.
American Cole Walsh snared third with a 5.70 m.
That silver wasn’t bad considering that the former World No. 2 had six events since Aug. 17, including two gold medals in the Golden Sand in Miedzyzdroje, Poland and ISTAF Berlin — his ninth title of the year.
In Miedzyzdroje, Mr. Obiena posted his season-best 5.91 m, or a few rungs off his career-high 6 m he registered two years ago.
During that scintillating stretch, Mr. Obiena punched a ticket to the World Championship after a 5.90 m in a fifth-place finish in a Diamond League in Zurich, Switzerland. — Joey Villar