EJ Obiena's bid to get the elusive Olympic gold got a huge boost early Thursday (Philippine Time) after he won the Folksam Grand Prix in Gothenburg, Denmark.
The Filipino pole vaulter ruled the event pitting six other competitors after clearing 5.7 meters, beating longtime training partner Thiago Braz for the gold.
Braz could only clear 5.65 meters and settled for the silver.
Braz tried to overtake Obiena by going for 5.75, but failed to clear the height.
Obiena also went for a higher jump at 5.8 meters, but also missed the target.
Pal Haugen Lillefosse and Cole Walsh tied up for third place with a 5.6-meter leap.
Lillefosse, however, clinched the tiebreaker after clearing the height before that, 5.5 meters, in just one try.
Walsh, on the other hand, missed the said height in two tries but opted to skip the third try and went straight to 5.6.
Both cleared 5.6 meters in their first tries.
Despite missing on the podium finish, Walsh achieved a season best.
Obiena is one of the nine Filipino athletes who have already qualified to play in the Tokyo Olympics from July 23 to Aug. 8 this year.
The eight others are 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz (weightlifting), Caloy Yulo (gymnastics), Kurt Barbosa (Taekwondo), Cris Nievarez (rowing), and boxers Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio, and Irish Magno Carlo Paalam. ( Ivan Stewart Saldajeno)
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