EJ shakes off slow start, gains finals

PARIS – There was a gripping, tense moment for Team Philippines at high noon at the Stade de France Saturday.

But EJ Obiena slew the scare, escaped blushes and later thundered to qualification to the final round of the 2024 Olympics men’s pole-vault competition.

In danger of bombing out at 5.6-meter distance with two missed attempts, the gutsy Filipino ace went for 5.7 for his third and final attempt, and gave everyone a big sigh of relief with a thunderous, clean vault.

The world No. 2 then also cleared 5.75 and made the medal play among 12 finalists led by superstar titleholder Armand “Mondo” Duplantis of Sweden.

Ten others flew over the high bar at 5.75m, with Latvia’s Valters Kreiss and Australian Kurtis Marschall completing the championship start list with their similar 5.7m efforts.

Also soaring past 5.75 were Sondre Guttormsen of Norway, Greek Emmanouil Karalis, Turkey’s Ersu Sasma, Germany’s Oleg Zernikel, the Netherlands’ Memmo Vloon, American Sam Kendricks, China’s Huang Bokai and another German, Bo Kanda Baehre.

They will be back at France’s cavernous national stadium for Monday’s showdown for Olympic glory.

Obiena is to strut his stuff in Olympics pole vault final for the second time. He was 11th in Tokyo in 2021.