TWO-TIME Olympian pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena clinched his first indoor win of the 2026 season by bagging the gold medal in the International Springer-Meeting in Cottbus, Germany on Thursday.
With a best jump of 5.77 meters, Obiena shared the title with Menno Vloon of the Netherlands, after officials declared them both as winners.
Both athletes identically cleared the 5.77 bar but failed to make the height of 5.84 meters.
It was the first time that two pole vaulters shared the gold in the Cottbus event.
This win followed Obiena’s bronze medal at the 6th Istaf Indoor Dusseldorf tournament earlier this week.
“First win of the season with a new season’s best of 5.77m. Brick by brick, we build. Thank you @springermeeting_cottbus and the amazing crowd for making this evening one to remember,” Obiena said on his Instagram post on Thursday.
The Filipino pole vaulter said he got the crowd vibing to Parokya ni Edgar’s “Bagsakan” before making his jumps.
This win followed Obiena’s bronze medal at the 6th Istaf Indoor Dusseldorf tournament earlier this week.
Both Obiena and Vloon were also competitors at the Ayala Pole Vault Challenge in Makati City last year.
Meanwhile, Obiena has been cited as a major awardee at the 2025 Philippine Sportswriters’ Association Awards Night on Feb. 16.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed a resolution congratulating Obiena’s gold medal win at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand last December.