Obiena snares pole vault silver in Eurowings Flight Circus

MANILA, Philippines — Maybe the change of atmosphere is what Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena needed to change his floundering fortunes for the better.

And just a few days after tapping a new coach in Pole Marcin Szczepanski and moving camp from Italy to Athens, Greece, Obiena looked like a renewed athlete.

It was evident in the Southeast Asian and Asian champion’s silver-medal finish in the Eurowings Flight Circus in Dusseldorf, Germany where he cleared 5.74 meters Monday.

American Chris Nilsen, the Tokyo Olympics silver winner, struck gold with a 5.83m, while Qatari Seifeldin Abdesalam snared the bronze with a 5.65m.

It was an effort that jump-started Obiena's outdoor campaign, as the Flipino hopes to reclaim his old place in the world rankings after dropping to No. 13 from as high as No. 2 a few years back.

His last outdoor event came last March in the World Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland, where he ended up ninth with a 5.70m.

“Battled through some swirling winds but overall happy how it all went,” he said on his social media account.

Next stop is the next Diamond League stop, a stronger one set Friday in Doha, Qatar where Obiena hopes to sustain the momentum of his Dusseldorf performance.