FOUR Filipino athletes have secured spots in the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships slated on March 20-22, 2026, in Kujawy-Pomorze, Poland.
Olympian pole vaulter Ernest John "EJ" Obiena will banner the Philippine delegation in the prestigious meet. He recently made headlines with a season-best performance of 5.78 meters (m) to secure the gold medal at the 2026 ISTAF Indoor event in Berlin last week.
Obiena is joined by John Cabang Tolentino (60-m hurdles), Jessica Laurance (60-m run) and Zion Corales-Nelson (60-m run).
Obiena, who went through a tough 2025 season, expressed how grateful he is to have recovered his bearings this year and secured a slot in the World Athletics Indoor Championship
“Last year I missed, didn’t make the cut, grade or whatever is synonymous with 'failing to qualify.' That was a tough shake,” Obiena wrote on an Instagram post.
“Still today, it still doesn’t feel like anywhere near where I want to be or believe I can be. Making this world indoors championship, one of the twelve vaulters, is a small step to a long road back,” he added.
Also making a comeback in the World Indoor Championships is Tolentino, who failed to qualify last year as he recovered from a leg injury that he sustained during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In late 2025, Tolentino solidified his global reputation by setting the Southeast Asian Games 110-meter hurdles record at 13.66 seconds. This follows his record-breaking performance at the 2024 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships where he posted a blistering 7.64 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles.
Tolentino surpassed Eric Cray’s 10-year-old national record of 7.86 seconds when he bagged the bronze at the 2024 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships.
Making their World Indoors debut are sprinters Laurance and Corales-Nelson.
Laurance, who recently switched her allegiance from Australia to the Philippines, qualified after clocking a blazing 7.20 seconds in the 60-m dash on Feb. 28.
Meanwhile, Corales-Nelson, a veteran of the US collegiate indoor circuit, secured her spot via her global ranking and a personal best of 7.43 seconds set earlier this season.