ERNEST John Obiena, the world’s fourth-ranked pole vaulter, still has a chance to qualify for the World Indoor Championships despite falling short in his recent competition at the ORLEN Copernicus Cup in Torun, Poland.
According to the World Athletics Indoor Tour calendar, four more pole vault events remain before the championships take place from March 21 to 23 in Nanjing, China.
These include the National Indoor Grand Prix 3 and 4 in China, the All-Star Perche by SCC in France and the Mondo Classic in Sweden.
The National Indoor Grand Prix 4 is scheduled on February 25 at the Sports Training Center in Nanjing, China. Meanwhile, the All Star Perche by SCC, an internationally renowned pole vaulting event, will unfold on February 28 in Clermont-Ferrand, France, as part of the World Athletics Indoor Tour.
On March 13, the spotlight will shift to Uppsala, Sweden, for the fourth edition of the Mondo Classic at the IFU Arena. This event honors Swedish-American pole vault superstar Armand “Mondo” Duplantis and is considered one of the marquee competitions in the athletics’ calendar.
Obiena recently secured his second gold medal of the year at the Copernicus Cup with a season-best performance of 5.80 meters. However, this result fell short of the 5.85-meter automatic qualifying standard for the World Indoor Championships.
“I am not happy with the result,” Obiena admitted on the Copernicus Cup website. “I needed to jump 5.85 to qualify for the World Indoor Championships. For us Asians, the qualifying window in the indoor season is shorter because we do not have national indoor championships. I am not sure if I will have another chance before the end of the qualification period.”
Despite his disappointment, Obiena demonstrated exceptional form throughout the competition. He cleared 5.50 and 5.70 meters on his first attempts and successfully vaulted over 5.80 meters on his third try, securing the gold medal. Poland’s Piotr Lisek and Norway’s Sondre Guttormsen finished with silver and bronze, respectively.
Obiena made three attempts to clear 5.85 meters, but was unsuccessful, leaving his qualification hopes in limbo. While the Filipino star has shown remarkable consistency this season, his path to the World Indoor Championships remains uncertain.
The victory in Poland follows his earlier triumph at the Meeting Metz Moselle Athlétor in France, where he also clinched gold.
With four more competitions remaining, Obiena will need to hit the 5.85-meter mark before the qualification window closes.
